JANUARY 16, 2006
EARLY MORNING...STILL DARK OUTSIDE (AROUND 4:00 AM)
TOKYO, JAPAN
MARIE
I was sleeping in my bed with Alex and trying to enjoy my sleep without worrying about having any dreams about Kira or the masked man. I woke up earlier around 1:00 AM to get a glass of water from the kitchen. This time, Christy had gone to bed and I was greeted by Khloe who was looking straight at me when I exclaimed after I heard a noise. Thankfully, I already went through one sleep without having any dreams about Kira or the masked man and I for sure knew I wasn't going to have any again. The spell seemed to be working! I was so happy that the spell worked because I felt like I was going slightly insane the more and more I thought about Kira. It probably must have been because I now lived in Japan and there were plenty of Kira worshippers. No, it's definitely because this was the country of Light Yagami, and this was the country where Kira did his killing spree.
Just then, as I slept more and more, I woke up and found myself in a cloudy and dark place that didn't look anything like Japan. It looked dark, cold, and creepy like it was the Underworld...not exactly Hell. I've heard people say, "Hell was scorching hot. There was a lot of pain, gnashing of teeth, and all kinds of torture." This place didn't feel hot, it felt cold. I placed my hands on my arms. Even though I had long sleeves on, I was still pretty cold. I shivered and exhaled. "It's so cold," I saw my breath in the wind. I looked around and saw nothing but a rocky land with chains and bones everywhere. "So," I heard a dark and rusty voice call out. "What do you want to do with him?" "I don't know dude," answered another voice. "I can't believe we have to take orders from you because of that human flesh Shinigami! You taught him well in life, Ryuk! But what do we do with him now?"
I followed the direction where the voice came from. "I don't know," I heard the dark and rusty voice call out again. "I miss my apples from the human realm!" "Quit whining!" I heard a female voice call out this time. "Do you think we should bother with that Shinigami? Did you think it was a great idea for him to have a Death Note and become Kira?" "How should I know?" I heard the dark and rusty voice answer. "I was bored and I didn't know what else to do but to drop the notebook in the human realm." "Hey!" said the other guy's voice he was talking to. "Did you think that it's a good idea to be talking so loud about that human-fleshed Shinigami so loud? What if he hears you? You don't wanna hurt his feelings, do you, Ryuk? You were his friend in life."
While following the voices, I found a black cloak with cobwebs all over it. I picked it up and dusted it off before placing it on. "And what about his girlfriend?" the guy continued again. "How long do you think she'll go on without him?" "Where? In the afterlife? Heaven or Hell?" asked the dark and rusty voice. "No," the other guy answered. "You know where she is, Ryuk! How do you think we can bring him and his girlfriend back together?" "I'm not so sure," the dark and rusty voice answered. "We're Shinigamis, not Cupid. We're Gods and Goddesses of Death, not matchmakers." He paused. "And besides, maybe someone from the human realm can bring them back together." I hit behind the large pile of bones as I heard them talking. I then got a better look at all of them. They didn't look human, they looked like they had no meat on their bones. "Do you think it's a good idea to give Brad Pitt of the Shinigamis a Death Note?" the guy asked. The being who was giving all the questions was shorter than the being who was giving all the answers meanwhile the huge salamander one stayed quiet. The being who was giving all the answers was taller and even wore this badass black outfit. He even had wings. "What do I know?" the tall figure protested back. "He's just going to look for someone interested in magic, witchcraft, and sorcery, convince them to become the Next Kira so he can see his little girlfriend again. You know what I mean, right?"
As I watched and listened in on their conversation, I felt someone tug my arm and spin me around. I gasped and then I saw someone put a hand over my mouth. I protested and fought back against the guy who did that, but he didn't stop. "Hey!" the guy said in a loud whisper. "Stop it!" He was wearing a cloak too and I could only see half of his face. "You're not supposed to be here! He'll find you! That's why you need to calm down!" "Do you trust me?" he asked me. "What?" my response was muffled due to his hand covering my mouth. "Do you trust me?" he asked again but in a louder tone. I nodded and he removed his hand from my mouth. I gasped for air after he did that. He shushed me in a loud tone. "He's looking for you!" he said in a loud whisper. "If any of the other Shinigami find you, they alert him and he'll find you!" "Who?" I asked in a loud whisper. "Light Yagami," the cloaked man answered. "He believes you are the key he needs to see Misa Amane again." "Why? What happened to her?" I asked in a louder tone. "I can't tell you," the cloaked man told you. "That might be an answer that only Light and the other Shinigami know and they don't mention what happened to her or if she's still alive or not. Surprisingly, out of all of the people in the human world who practice magic, witchcraft, and sorcery, he believes you are the one who can truly bring them back together for all of eternity." I felt confused when he told me this. "How do you know this? Who are you?" I asked.
The man removed his hood and I saw the exact person I had a crush on all this time. It was L! "Because I'm L," he answered. "I have to get you out of here before he finds you." "What will happen once he finds me?" I asked. "He'll convince you to become the next Kira so he can be reunited with Misa Amane," he answered. "Now come to think of it is that I don't know if Light knows what happened to Misa Amane either." "Well, what happened to Misa?" I asked. "I told you I don't know!" L's best way to answer that was to sound like he was complaining. "No one's heard from her since Light died! It could be possible that she's still alive, but I have my doubts!" L placed his hood back on his head. "But why are you trying to stop Light from finding me?" I asked.
"Once he gets what he wants, he will kill you!" L answered in a loud whisper. "I have to protect you from him!" "Well, Light," I heard this Ryuk figure talking about him. We gasped as we heard him say that name. "We've been talking about you." "He's here!" L said right before he ran away pulling me behind him. "Well, Ryuk," I heard Light say. "I've been searching across the Earth for Misa, but I can't find her anywhere. I can sense that she's more than likely not dead, but I don't know where she could be." "You probably haven't been looking hard enough, Light," Ryuk told him. L and I kept running as we heard him talking. "Don't turn around or he'll see your face!" L reminded me. I did my best not to turn around so Light wouldn't see my face. "I'm sure I can get that American girl that moved to Tokyo with that one pop star to help me find my girlfriend and bring her back to me." "Don't listen to him, Marie!" L chided. "Remember he'll kill you after he gets what he wants!" I nodded. "I heard you!" I assured him. "But, did you also hear that, L? Misa's chances of being dead are low! She has to be alive!" "Yes, I heard!" L replied. "Lower your voice! The Shinigamis and Light will be able to hear you!" "Oh no, you don't!" I heard Light's voice yell out, but this time, it was very close to us almost like he was right behind us.
I felt a foot kick me down to the ground and I watched as L fell to the ground with me. I then felt someone turn me over and I saw Light Yagami looking down at me. "How many times do I have to tell you, Marie? You can't hide from me!" he reminded me. He leaned in closer to me. "Because I always know where you're running to and I will find you!" I turned my head and saw L get up. He pointed his figure at Light. "Hey!" he shouted. "Stay away from her, you heartless killer!" "Heartless?" Light asked right before he laughed. "Oh, L. You better watch what you say because that hurt my feelings!" Light laughed in a much-crazed way. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you right now are being a terrible friend and that you're taking away the chance for me to see Misa again!" "Because I know that you'll kill her after she brings Misa back to you!" L responded. Light cackled. "Oh, L," he said. "You are so funny. I'm a Shinigami now...and I now have even more power than you can even imagine!" L's eyes widened as he stepped back right before Light snapped his figures. "Begone!" he commanded. L looked at his hands and saw himself fading away. "No, no," he said looking down at his hands as red flames devoured them. L then looked back up at me. "Marie!" he shouted with his left arm reaching out for me, but there was nothing I could do since Light Yagami was right there beside me. I knew that if I tried something stupid, he'd figure it out. I watched as the remaining parts of L faded away as the red flames consumed him. "No!" I cried out.
I tried to get up, but Light was so much stronger than I was. He held out his hand and started choking me with his telekinesis. I held my hands on my throat as he did so. "I don't wanna hurt you or kill you," he told me. "But I need your help. It's the only way for me to see Misa again." I still choked for air as he continued to choke me. "You have to become the next Kira." Light continued. "I can't promise you if I'll kill you or spare your life once you bring her back to me, you got that?" I slowly nodded as he continued to choke me.
LIGHT
I continued to choke Marie as she listened closely to what I was about to say. "But for you to obtain a Death Note, I need to erase the nightmares from your memory so that you can become the next Kira, okay?" Marie nodded. "O-okay..." she choked. "Please stop choking me!" "I will," I reminded her. "Now where were we...oh that's right!" I stopped choking Marie. She laid her head down on the ground gasping for air after I released her. "You were sleeping in the bed in your bed with your cat," I said as I walked up to her face. Marie lifted her head right before I kicked her in the face and knocked her out. In doing so, I erased all memories of her having nightmares she had with me wanting her to become the next Kira.
MARIE
I gasped and sat up in my bed. I didn't remember anything that happened in my nightmare nor did I know what it was about. I looked around and found that a white pentagram was on the ground with white candles in it. "What the hell?" I muttered. I got up and cleaned up my room before my roommate could see that. I had no idea what kind of spell or ritual I did before I woke up, but I knew that I couldn't let Christy see it because she might be religious and may find out. After that, I changed into a long-sleeved black shirt with a red and black plaid skirt, fishnet tights, fishnet gloves, and high heel boots. After I was done getting dressed, I went downstairs to see Christy and Khloe. Christy was holding a tray with a ton of fluffy pancakes. She looked at me. "Oh hey," she said. "You're up." Christy walked over to the table. "I'm not so sure if you want to try one of these pancakes or not. Steve brought them by." After she placed them on the table she started singing, "It must be love. It must be love. It must be looooove!"
After I sat down at the table, I placed one of the pancakes on my plate and ate them. "Mmm," I let out with the bite I still had in my mouth. "This is the best pancake I've ever had." I swallowed that piece right before Christy sat down at the table across from me. "I've already had one," she said. "And I'm SO full!" I continued to eat my pancake when Christy tried to start a conversation with me. "So, Marie," she began. "How did you sleep?" My eyes widened when she said that. I continued chewing on my food with my mouth closed. "I slept okay," I told her after I swallowed my food. "Woke up a few times during the night, but I was pretty much okay for the rest of the night." I couldn't remember what I dreamt about. It was all just an enigma. "But I can't remember what I dreamt about last night." I then made eye contact with Christy. "How about you?" I asked her. "Did you sleep well?" Christy nodded. "Woke up when Khloe ran down the stairs." she picked up her glass of orange juice. "Was that you in the kitchen?" Christy asked. "I thought I heard someone screaming downstairs last night." "Sorry, Khloe just surprised me," I told her. "Anyway, the bus will be here shortly. Also, when you come back I'm not gonna be here until 9:00 at night." Christy reminded me. "I'm gonna be working with Steve and the others. I'm planning on making some new music that I've been working on since a child." "That's cool," I told Christy. "You have fun, Christy. I believe in you and your music." She placed down her cup of orange juice. "Thank you," she told me. "I believe in you too, Marie," she told me.
After breakfast, I said goodbye to Christy and went on the bus. On the bus, I took out Bram Stoker's Dracula book from my bag and read it for a little bit. I've always loved stories about vampires. I had a lot of space on the seat since no one was sitting next to me and most everyone was in the back being loud. Just like in America. I thought to myself while reading the book. I've always loved the book, but I loved the movie the most. I loved how it showed Dracula's backstory and how he became a vampire. I always thought Mina had more chemistry with Dracula than she did with Jonathan. I liked this even better than Titanic and Phantom of the Opera though I loved those movies (and musical) too. Though the movie from 2004 wasn't bad, I always preferred the musical The Phantom of the Opera. "Such a good book," I mumbled to myself when I smelt a stench in the air.
After I said that, a boy sat down beside me. I looked up at him and the way he looked was acting very similar to Melvin from Sailor Moon. "Hey, you're that new girl from America that just moved in from Waco, TX, right?" he asked. I nervously nodded. "Yeah," I answered. "Anyway, I was thinking," the guy began. "Do you wanna go out on a date later?" I sighed and looked back at my book. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in getting a boyfriend right now," I answered. "Heh-heh," the guy chuckled. "How about your phone number?" "Nope," I answered. I felt the bus take a turn down the road. "Your e-mail?" he asked. "Uh-uh," I answered. "What about your MySpace?" he asked. "How about no?" I asked. After I said that, everyone on the bus laughed.
A few minutes later, after I walked into school, I went to the same classroom where I saw Mr. Mikami yesterday. I saw the class back in with kids. I saw a guy who looked a lot like Vincent Valentine, this one girl who looked Korean, this blonde girl who looked American, and so many other people in the class. I placed my stuff down on the desk when I heard, "Hey, there she is!" I looked to my right and saw the same guy who was mean to me on the airplane. "You see?" he asked as he pointed at me. "This is the girl I was talking about on the plane! This is the same girl who treated me as if I was her Shinigami!" Half of the classroom laughed and the other half, including the guy that looked like Vincent Valentine and the South Korean girl along with the people that were on their side didn't laugh. They just looked at me as if they felt bad for me which made me feel a little better.
Just then, the bell rang and Mr. Mikami walked into the room. "Hello, class," he greeted the class. "Hello," we all said. "Oh!!!" one of the guys cried out. "New teacher alert!" Everyone in the classroom laughed once they heard him say that and Mr. Mikami chuckled. "That's right," he told him. "I'm your new teacher for Japanese Creative Writing. You may call me Mr. Mikami...and yes, Mikami is my real last name." "So are you related to Teru Mikami or something?" one of the guys from behind us asked. I looked around as I turned and saw everybody on the guy that I met on the airplane's half laugh and the people on my half looking at the people on the other half of the classroom with dirty looks on their faces. Mr. Mikami sighed we all looked back at him and watched as he crossed his arms. "No," he answered. "I'm not related to Teru Mikami. I just share the last name with him, that's all."
Everyone in the classroom chattered and looked at each other. "Yeah," said one of the girls. "Kind of dark, but pretty cool too." "Yeah," I heard other people in the classroom murmuring. "Anyway," Mr. Mikami boasted as he clapped his hands together. We all looked back at him. "Since we don't know each other that well yet, why don't we skip out on today's assignment and start by introducing ourselves." Mr. Mikami scanned the classroom so he could find someone to be the first one to introduce himself. "Why don't we start with...," he began as he continued to scan the classroom until his eyes were on me. "You," Mr. Mikami said to me. "You're the new girl from Waco, TX, right? Why don't you begin first?"