Imagine if you can Death Note before Ryuk decided to drop his book into the human world. What would have happened if the book had landed someplace else? What would have happened if someone else had picked it up? What would have happened?

     L was sitting in a garden sipping on a cup of overly-sugared tea. This was nothing out of the usual. He was bored, however. There hadn’t been an interesting case for months now. Sure, there were more than enough criminals out there in the world, but nothing that tickled his fancy, no one that posed a challenge to him. And so today he just sat in the white wicker chair in the garden, surrounded by finery and flowers sipping on his overly-sugared tea.
     When from the sky, something catches his eye – black, rectangular… “A notebook?” he asked himself, judging from the fluttering the object was doing, like the pages were rippling in the wind. The object made a downward fall, out of the clouds and into the bushes at the other end of the garden.
     L cocked his head to one side… and then took a sip of his tea… “Very odd… I wonder if a sky diver should follow…” But of course no sky diver came. And L just sat there, staring at the bushes. He twiddled his toes, the wicker beneath his feet feeling funny yet almost massaging. Nothing happened in the bushes. They didn’t move. They didn’t make a sound. …And neither did L.
     Watari came out into the garden; “Are you quite through out here, L? I thought maybe you’d like to hear today’s headlines. There may be a few cases of interest to you… ?” Watari looked at him strangely, “L, what are you staring at?”
     L took a sip of his tea and placed the white cup back on its saucer. “The bushes.”
     “Why?”
     “Because a notebook fell into them.”
     “A notebook? Did somebody throw it over the fence?”
     L finally stood. “No. It fell out of the sky.” And he began walking towards the bushes.
     “The sky?” Watari looked up into the wild blue yonder, curious. “You mean out of a plane IN the sky.”
     “No. I mean out of the sky. There was no plane, not even the sound of a plane.” L looked into the bushes and stared the book’s cover right in the face. He raised his eyebrows, slowly drawing in a breath.
     DEATH NOTE
     [Peculiar] L thought to himself. Watari came up behind him.
     “So then where did this book come from I wonder…”
     L picked up the Death Note. “I don’t know. But with a name like Death Note, I’m not sure if I want to find out.” He lifted it above his head between his thumb and forefinger, cocking his head to the side again as if to look at the book from a different angle.
     “Death Note? You mean like a suicide note?”
     “Awfully big for a suicide note. Let’s take a look, shall we?” L opened the Death Note and read the inside cover, his eyes widening just a little more. “The human whose name is written in this note… shall die…”
     “Ah I see. Some sort of black magic book. Probably used by some superstitious cult.”
     “Or perhaps a way for mob members to communicate hit-lists with one another… but no, look at this… This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person’s face in their mind when writing his/her name…blahblahblah, If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person’s name it will happen… If the type of death is not specified the subject will simply die of a heart attack… This… all sounds too strange…”
     “What do you think, L?”
     L stood staring at the Death Note silently... "...L?”
     … “I think… I may have found something of interest to me…”
     Back inside, L and Watari sat, staring at the notebook sitting on the coffee table. L picked up a sugar cube and licked at it, the way a hamster does a salt wheel.
     “If this were a forgery, or some sort of a hoax,” L said between licks, “Somebody certainly went to a great deal to make it… and if it is what it says it is, then that means this book really can kill people… of course we’ll never know if it really works unless we actually use it to kill somebody. But that would just be wrong…”
     Watari sat watching his experienced pupil across from him, knowing L’s mind was fast at work. “L… tell me… why does this book interest you?”
     “Because I’ve never heard of a Death Note. I’ve heard of the Book of Life … but never the Book of Death… I suppose it only makes sense that in order to sort things out there would be two different books… but it’s odd…” L picked up the book by its front cover, letting the pages fall as he scanned through them. “If this truly were the Book of Death, wouldn’t there be a few names in here? Names of people who have passed on already? …Yet the book is completely blank…”
     “You honestly think that this book fell from Heaven?”
     “Perhaps. Perhaps not. All I know is that I’m bored. And it’s not everyday that a book randomly falls from the sky.” L stood, holding the mysterious black object in his hands. “I want to know what this book is. I know it’s more than just a book.”

     And so over a period of several days, L and Watari ran tests on the book, short of actually writing a name in it. They analyzed the paper to see what it was made out of; took measurements of how big it was; took its weight; did research on myths dealing with books of death. Nothing really popped out at them. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary. Perhaps this book really was just a book…
     But then L put it through MRI testing. His eyes widened again. “Watari! Look! There’s an energy field around this book!”
     Watari adjusted his glasses on his face. “Most peculiar… How is a book generating that much energy?”
     “It’s as if… the book is alive somehow…”
     A deep and hoarse cackling came from behind them. L turned around and was greeted by an ugly and monstrous blue face with sharp fangs. L screamed and fell back, knocking some equipment with him as he went.
     “Ahh! Monster!”
     “Who are you?!” Watari demanded. “Stay back!”
     The demon chuckled. “Don’t worry. I haven’t come for your souls.”
     L stayed frozen on the floor. “…Our souls?”
     “Of course. That’s what Shinigami usually do.” And he pointed his finger to the book. “And the Death Note is how we usually do it.”
     “So,” Watari said, staring distrustfully at the beast in black, “You’re a God of Death… which must mean that you know what this book is.”
     The monster cackled, “That’s right. I was hoping something more exciting would have happened between the time I dropped it and now. But so far it just looks like you’ve been playing scientist with it. I thought humans were more interesting than this.”
     “What?” L said as he sat up, curious. “Interesting? You mean this is all just a game to you?”
     The beast chuckled again, “Basically. You see, things in the Shinigami World have gotten pretty boring. So I decided to take a vacation. But just to spice things up,” he pointed to the book again, the sight of his big claws making L wince back a bit, “I thought I’d let a human have my Death Note and see what they’d do with it. I must say, I’m very disappointed. People usually jump at the chance to kill people without being caught. Surely there must be somebody you want dead.”
     L stood, brushing himself. “No. There isn’t. I simply wanted to know whether or not this book was for real. And your presence here confirms that.” L turned around. “You may go now. And please, take the book with you.”
     The creature turned his head to the side, taking in a breath, shocked. “What? You mean that’s it? You’re not even going to write a single name?”
     “No. I have no interest in killing another human being. You see, I am civilized. And while it may be all right for a Death God to kill a human, it’s not all right for a human to kill a human. That’s just not the way things work.”
     The Shinigami turned his head back straight, his smiling face not so smiling anymore.
     “You may leave now Mr. Shinigami.”
     “…Fine.” The Shinigami walked over, Watari stepping to the side to let the large creature through. It picked up the book and walked past L, heading for the window to fly away. “I guess you’ll never know everything about the book.” It opened the large windows when L’s voice arose.
     “What do you mean?”
     And the Shinigami smiled.
     L stood silently, waiting for an answer. The Shinigami spoke.
     “If I take the book now, you’ll never really know, will you? I mean you’ll just have to take my word for it that this is in fact a Death Note and that I am in fact a Shinigami. But you’re a smart man, I can see that.” It turned to look over its shoulder at L. “Analytical. Discerning. Nobody knows more about anything than you… except of course for me who knows what this book is and how to use it.”
     L stood for a while with that unblinking glare on his face, looking intently at the devil before him. “…What is your name?”
     The demon chuckled. “I am called Ryuk.”
     “Very well… Ryuk. I am L.”
     “L Lawliet, yes. You don’t have to tell me.” And Ryuk looked over at Watari. “And you – your name is Quillish Wammy Watari.”
     Watari was taken aback. “How do you know this?!”
     Ryuk’s eyes flashed red. “The eyes of a Shinigami can read the name and lifespan of a human very easily. That way we can write their name in the Death Note when the time comes.”
     “I see,” L said, approaching the demon. “So, now that you’ve decided to stay, I want you tell me everything there is to know about the Death Note.”
     “Keh! I don’t see why I should. You don’t seem all that interested in it.”
     L narrowed his eyes slightly, “Just because I don’t intend to use it does not mean that I am not interested in it.”
     Ryuk moved his hands about as he talked, “Well, I don’t know. There is an awful lot to be said about the Death Note. I don’t know if your human brain can handle all that information all at once.”
     “Try me,” said L, his look unchanging as stone. “You underestimate me, Mr. Shinigami. I’m capable of hearing a piece of information once and remembering it forever. Tell me everything, anything you can think of concerning the Death Note, and I guarantee you I will remember it.”
     Ryuk turned to the little human in front of him. “Sure. But I don’t really see what’s in it for me. If you’re not going to use the book, I don’t even see why you need to know anything at all. You get knowledge and yet I remain bored.”
     Suddenly a knock at the door, and both L and Watari nearly jump out of their skins. A servant maid opens the door, carrying with her a basket. “Oh, I’m sorry to disturb you so late, sirs. But I thought you might need a snack. After all, it is late. You could probably use an energy boost.” The servant maid came into the room, setting the basket down on the table, “I hope you like apples.” Ryuk’s smile grew even wider. “They’re simple. And they’re sweet. I know that’s how you like them Master L,” she smiled.
     “Uh, yes,” said Watari. “Thank you.”
     She bowed and turned to go, but L stopped her.
     “Excuse me.”
     “Yes?”
     The demon hovered over his shoulder. “How many people do you see in this room?”
     “What do you mean?”
     “Answer the question please.”
     “Uh. Three. You, me, and Watari.”
     “And no one else?”
     “Uh, no sir.”
     “Thank you. You may go.”
     The maid looked nervous, unsure as to what her master meant by asking her that question, but she bowed nonetheless and left the room. Once she did, Ryuk went flying straight for the apples, devouring them quite quickly, one by one.
     “So,” L said. “She can’t see you. Why is this?”
     Ryuk noisily responded, his lips smacking as he crunched the fruit, “Hahaha! That’s because only those who have touched the Death Note can see me! *slurp!* Mmm! Delicious! These apples are – how do you humans say? – succulent!”
     L raised an eyebrow. “So I see. You’re fond of apples. Well then, Mr. Ryuk, if you tell me everything there is to know about the Death Note, I’ll buy you a whole bushel of apples. How’s that?”
     Ryuk swallowed the last little bit of apple and sighed. “Sure. Sounds fair enough.”
     And so after a long and detailed explanation of all the rules and regulations and usage of the Death Note, L and Watari sat silent, Watari drawing a heavy sigh.
     “…So now what do we do?”
     The sun was just starting to crest on the horizon, its light coming through the curtains of the large window.
     “We can go and buy those apples now,” L responded. “After all, a deal’s a deal.”
     “And once I have my apples, I’ll be on my way,” Ryuk said to the humans. “You got what you wanted. And if you don’t mind, I’m still on vacation and would like to find something a little more entertaining than educating humans.”
     “Now hold on Ryuk,” L said. “You don’t have to leave so soon.”
     “Why not?” the demon asked.
     “…I want to hold onto the book for a little bit longer.”
     The devil smiled, chuckling under his breath. [Silly humans. It’s all too easy…]

     L laid awake that night, as he’s prone to do, and he held the Death Note in his hands, thinking to himself.
     [The human whose name is written in this note shall die… But what kind of people would I kill if I decided to use it anyway? …Bad people, I suppose. Criminals who are on death row and are going to die anyway… Murderers, rapists… people the world would be better without…]
     He flipped through the pages, back and forth, letting the soft edges massage his thumbs.
     [But then again… that would still be murder… it’s no different than shooting them with a gun…]
     “You think too much,” Ryuk said, he hovering right above L’s face.
     “Ahh!” L screamed and shot up, passing right through the apparition.
     “I can tell by the look on your face that something is troubling you. Tell me about it.”
     L gained his composure and went back to looking at the pages before him. “I must say that while this notebook contains great power, I really don’t enjoy the thought of committing murder.”
     Ryuk chuckled. “People only don’t like the thought of committing murder because they’ll have to pay for it. You wouldn’t if you used the Death Note.”
     L tapped the book against his head as he thought, resting his face against his fist. “That’s the other part I don’t like. A human who uses a Death Note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell. While escaping Hell sounds fun, sacrificing Heaven doesn’t sound nearly worth it at all.”
     “So then you’re afraid.”
     “I suppose so. I like the thought of Heaven much too much…” L went back to flipping through the pages. “…But still…”
     Ryuk picked up an apple from his bushel basket and played with it for a bit, rolling across his arms and twirling it in his hands. “You know if you like the thought of going to Heaven so much, I could just write YOUR name in the Death Note. It will get you there a lot quicker.” And he popped the apple in the air and caught it with his mouth, devouring it like it was cotton candy.
     “Assisted suicide, you mean. But suicide nonetheless. I hear you go the Hell for that.”
     Ryuk laughed heartily. “Ahahaha! Everything’s a moral dilemma with you! Maybe the tales about the human world weren’t true after all. I heard you were nothing but a bunch of animals.”
     L never looked at Ryuk, just continued to stare out the window. “I already told you, Ryuk. I am civilized. And civilized people have morals and ethics, rules and regulations that we follow, just like you Shinigami have for your Death Notes.”
     Ryuk was standing on his hands to keep himself amused. “Well fine. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I wasn’t supposed to drop that notebook.”
     “What?”
     “It’s one thing if we drop it on accident. It’s another thing if we drop it on purpose. There will be a punishment for doing it, but I don’t care. I may be a God of Death, but I like to live life. And so far you’re civilized morals and ethics just sound like their keeping you dead.”
     L glared at the devil for a while and then turned around. “Shut up.”
     Ryuk smiled.
     “Morals and ethics exist for a reason. They’re meant to make life more fulfilling and easier to live with other people. When somebody oversteps those boundaries… then they shall be brought to justice.”
     “Oh?”
     “And I AM justice!”
     “Is that why you became a detective, then? Your sense of morality was so strong you thought yourself better than those without morals?”
     “…I suppose…”
     Ryuk flew up to L, looking him eye to eye, those big red pupils looking into those big black pupils. “Well then, L. You could do the world great justice. You could destroy every single man who doesn’t have a sense of morality, every man who oversteps his boundaries. All who are unjust could fall, leaving only the just… or, you can just go back to being a detective and hoping that the law prevails…” And with that, Ryuk flew away, materializing through the ceiling, leaving L alone with the pale moonlight coming through his curtains.

     The next day, L and Watari were standing in a large underground room – their home base and headquarters for solving crimes, filled with computers and all kinds of detective equipment. All of the television and computer screens were filled with the same white background with a large black L plastered in the middle.
     Watari, a worried look on his face, somberly looked up at his pupil. “…L… are you sure you want to do this?”
     “I am sure, Watari.” L pulled the Death Note out from under his shirt and shouted, “Ryuk! Where are you?! Show yourself!”
     No answer.
     “I know you’re here! You’re not allowed to leave me with the note for long!”
     Finally Ryuk showed up, phasing through the ceiling down to them. “What do you want?”
     L thrust the Death Note out at him. “Here. Take the Death Note.”
     “What?!”
     “It’s yours now. I relinquish my ownership of it.”
     “I don’t need one. I already have a replacement.”
     “So I see. Then that Death Note there isn’t connected to me in any way?”
     “That’s right.”
     “Good. Because I have a job for you.”
     Ryuk raised an eyebrow.
     “You told me that a God of Death, the original owner of the Death Note, does not do, in principle, anything which will help or prevent the deaths in the note.”
     “Kukuku. You were right when you said that you can recall anything perfectly from memory.”
     “That rule works only if it pertains to the note I own. It doesn’t say anything about the note you own.”
     “What are you getting at, L?”
     L’s eyes shined over with a red glaze. “It says that I can’t have a Shinigami help me kill someone. It never said I couldn’t hire one to kill for me. I can still change the world. And you’re going to help me do it. I will decide who is to be killed and you will be the one to kill them.”
     “Keh! It sounds more like work than play. I’m supposed to find my everyday job enticing?”
     “No. But perhaps you will find THIS enticing.” L pulled from his pocket a remote control, and pushing a button, the wall behind Ryuk lifted up, revealing a huge supply of apples. “And there’s more where that came from. As long as you do what I say, you can have all the apples you want. And not just red apples. Green apples, yellow apples, big apples, small apples. Apple pie, apple juice, apple sauce. If it’s made from apples you can have it.”
     Ryuk’s eyes glistened and sparkled with the red gold before him. He let out a long and hearty chuckle. “When I dropped the Death Note in the human world, I expected to be entertained, not to get fat! Oh, you drive a hard bargain, L.”
     “So what do you say, Ryuk?” L pushed another button and all of the television screens rolled with the hundreds of names and pictures of the damned. “Will you help me bring justice to this world?”

     Within 24 hours time, everyone on every major wanted list in the world was dead. Japan, America, Germany, China – countries across the globe were seeing criminals fall dead. Terrorists in the Middle East were dropping like flies. Corrupt politicians and world leaders were suddenly clutching their chests before falling lifeless to the ground. The news reports called it an epidemic, and people were running to their homes or shelters, hazmat teams in their yellow jumpsuits quarantining the sites of death. Priests and religious leaders were calling it the End of Days, and millions flocked to their churches to beg for last-minute forgiveness for their sins.

     Watari watched the news reports and the many TVs in the underground base. “…The world has been thrown into chaos…”
     “Just as it should be,” L responded. Watari looked at his transformed student. L’s eyes still shone with a glint of red as he glared at the television screens. “Chaotic, yes – but without Evil. Chaos in and of itself is not necessarily evil. Perhaps a bit disorderly. But from Chaos, Order forms. And a Chaos without Evil will form only Good things…”
     Watari continued to look on at L as he talked.
     “The world will rebuild,” L said with assurance and faith. “And it will be a better world.”
     Ryuk came flying down and landed on the floor, carrying with him an apple. “Well I’m done for the day. Not bad work for only 24 hours, eh? Hahaha!” He bit into the apple, happy with himself.
     “Yes. Excellent work, Ryuk.” L turned to leave the room. “You may enjoy your apples now. I’ll see you in another 24 hours from now. Come, Watari.”
     Watari followed, feeling awkward and nervous. He walked silently behind L, his head down. Then he looked up.
     “L… I don’t think this is a good idea… That Shinigami doesn’t have to follow a word you say. He could kill you at any moment if he wanted to. Why take this risk?”
     “It’s a risk worth taking, Watari. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
     Silence …

     The next day the headlines were filled with the stories of the worldwide deaths. And the connection had been made. All victims had died of a heart attack – nothing more. No viruses, no biological weapons of war, nothing but heart attacks. The carbon copy deaths drew even more attention to this phenomenon. Some people were calling it a work of God; others, a work of the Devil. One way or another, everyone knew that the world was dealing with something supernatural.

     L sat at the dining room table, sipping on a cup of overly-sugared tea. This was nothing out of the usual. What was unusual, however, was his demeanor. His face looked so serious and grim.
     Watari came in a dropped a newspaper on the table in front of L. “Congratulations, KIRA,” he said sourly.
     “KIRA?” L looked down at the paper.
     The headline read ‘KIRA: The Messenger of God. A silent killer is passing judgment on the world.’
     L nibbled on his thumbnail. “Hmm. Apparently KIRA from the English word ‘killer.’ I can’t say that I really like the name, but oh well.”
     “L, this has gone far enough! I know you want to make the world a better place, but this is not the answer!”
     “You didn’t seem all too opposed to it when I came up with the idea.”
     “I didn’t realize you were going to put a grip of fear on the world. The people are afraid, L! A world living in fear is not a better world!”
     “They’ll get over it,” he takes a sip of his tea.
     “If they are living in fear then the world they will rebuild will be one built on fear! And fear leads to hatred, and hatred leads right back to square one!”
     “Hmm. You have a point, Watari,” L stirred his tea with a little silver spoon. His eyes followed the swirls of sugar that danced in his cup.
     “And what do you plan to do once you’ve killed off everyone you’ve passed judgment on? How are you going to show people that the world is a better place?”
     “Perhaps the same way that I always communicate with the outside world – using the computer systems. After I’ve killed off the damned, I’ll tell the saved that there is nothing left to fear via the mass media. Although I wonder if I should change my logo from L to KIRA.”
     Watari grumbled. “I still don’t like this. It’s wrong L.”
     “It’s not wrong. Shinigami are meant to kill, and that is exactly what Ryuk is doing.”
     “At your commands! That makes you equally as guilty!”
     L stopped stirring.
     “It’s no different than hiring a hitman. You’re a detective, L. You know the law. The person who hires a hitman is just as guilty if not even more guilty than the man who pulls the trigger!”
     The silver spoon began to rattle against the white china cup as L’s hand trembled.
     “Which means you might as well have written the names in the Death Note yourself.”
     “No… If I did that, I wouldn’t go to Heaven.”
     “Do you really think you’re going to go to Heaven now? Having committed such a mass murder?!”
     The dishes trembled increasingly, L’s voice trembling with them, “…God will forgive me… I’m doing what’s right…”
     “…Are you, L? Are you?”
     “… God will forgive me…”

     The next day, Ryuk killed again, this time killing off entire prison populations one by one. There was so much death everywhere that the news teams could hardly keep up… at least what was left of the news teams. Many anchors and cameramen quit on the spot, not wanting to get anywhere near the site of death. But by now the masses were panicking. Stores were being looted, and people were hoarding food, waiting for the Hellfires that would rain down from the skies with the rest of the plagues.

     L looked out a window to the streets below. “Look at the mess I’ve made…”
     Ryuk chuckled, lying on the bed with a never-faraway apple. “I know. Isn’t wonderful?”
     “No Ryuk. It isn’t. This isn’t what I wanted.”
     “Oh but it is. You said you wanted to change the world. Get rid of the bad and leave the good. Well it looks to me like once you get rid of the bad, the good turn bad to fill their place! Ahahahaha!”
     L narrowed his eyes, furious with the devil. “You knew this would happen, wouldn’t you?”
     “Maybe. I may be a god, but I can’t see the future. I’m afraid that’s the one thing the Eyes of a Shinigami cannot provide.”
     “And how do I not know you are lying to me?”
     “Have I lied to you yet, L?”
     L ignored him, looking back out the window. “…This has to stop.” L slowly turned around and began to head for the door.
     “Where ya going, L?”
     “Nowhere in particular.”
     “ ‘Nowhere-in-Particular.’ I’ve never been there. Mind if I come?”
     “Sure. Knock yourself out.”
     L walked down the hall and down the stairs, passing Watari as he went. “L,” Watari asked, “Where are you going?”
     “Nowhere-in-Particular he says,” responds Ryuk, hovering above L’s head. Out of curiosity, Watari follows.
     L leads them to the kitchen, where the cooks are cooking, and they all stop to look at the curiosity before them – both L and Watari walking in silently. L pulls out from under his shirt the black notebook, and opening an old brick oven already set aflame, he throws the book in!
     “Ahh!” Ryuk gasps. “What are you doing?!”
     “Getting rid of my temptation. That means you too, Ryuk. Now either leave or jump in the oven with it.”
     “What about my apples?!”
     “Take as many apples as you want. But once you’re out of this house, I don’t ever want to see you in it again!”
     Ryuk growled. “Fine. I’ve had what I want.” And with that, Ryuk flies away.
     The servants look oddly at their masters, confused as to what just happened. Had L lost his mind and was talking to someone who didn’t exist? Well the boy always was a little odd…

     Later, as L sat in a big plush chair, sulking, Watari came up to him and put his hand on his shoulder.
     “I’m proud of you L. You did the right thing.”
     “…Thank you…”
     “But you realize of course that this will not erase what has already been done.”
     “…No… but it will keep it from going any farther…” L twirled his finger on the arm of the chair, looking sadly down at it. “…Besides… God will forgive me…”
     Watari was very saddened, almost choked up by the sight of L and what he said. “For your sake, I hope you’re right.” Watari sighed as he flopped down on the couch across from L. “I just wish we could forget the whole thing… Say, I thought once the book was gone, we WERE supposed to forget.”
     “No,” L said as he chewed on his thumbnail. “It’s if the Shinigami takes the book that all memories of the Death Note are taken with it. It never said anything about being destroyed.”
     “Hmm. Odd.” Watari looked to his pupil. “So what do we do now, L?”
     “…I think I know what to do…”

     The very next day, every television station was showing the same thing – a blank white background with a large letter L in the middle. An electronic voice called forth.
     “Greetings. I am L. You may have heard of me. I’m a famous detective. I have never lost a case, and I want you to know that my latest case has been solved. I have stopped KIRA. That’s right. KIRA is no more. You can come out of hiding and go on living your normal lives. There will be no more killings. Everything is all right.”

     And as the days and weeks passed, people did return to their normal lives, happy to know that the world really hadn’t come to an end.

     But somewhere over a high school, Ryuk hovered – and he drops from the sky
A DEATH NOTE

(To Be Continued)