A Year of Jubilee [The Death Note Fanfic]

Chapter 14

In the bleak realm in between realms, the shinigami with spiked black hair sat on a lump that was like a rock but not a rock, mulling over the recent events on earth as he idled away his moments outside of time. Beside him, another shinigami suddenly stepped out of the nothingness and materialized before him. This one was female, with purple hair that looked more like dead serpents hanging down the sides of her face.

"Well met, Rem," said the first shinigami, Ryuk, with a gravelly laugh. "What brings you here? Don't you still have your little human pet back on earth to watch after?"

"Misa also gave up her Death Note and her memories, like Light did," answered Rem, no expression in her face.

"Oh, that's right," said Ryuk. "The plan's been getting so complicated that I forget what's what. Still though..." He cast the other shinigami a sly glance. "I know you're fond of following your little pet around, to keep an eye on her. What makes you seek me out?"

Rem was silent for a moment, whether out of offense or to collect her thoughts, it was impossible to tell. Finally she said, "We need to talk."

"Well, talk!" chuckled Ryuk, sweeping long, spindly fingers outward in the gesture of an invitation. "I'm all ears. Though, maybe not as much as that guy over there." He pointed towards the distance where a lone shinigami, whose body was covered in eyes and ears, meandered about aimlessly; and then he guffawed loudly at his own joke.

Rem didn't seem amused. "I've scrambled the tapes of human footage that have Misa in them. You ought to do the same for Light."

Ryuk seemed to find this funny. "Why?"

"They have a human with them who can see us."

"Eh?" Ryuk sat up straighter. "Another human with a Death Note?"

"No. She's a marked one."

"Ohhh?" Ryuk put two fingers to his chin and tilted his head, interest piqued. "Marked, you say? Been a little while since I've seen one of those. And the last time I did, it was an unpleasant affair." He gnashed his teeth, distorting his face into a more frightening visage than usual. "I wonder...But even so, it's rare for even a marked human to be able to see us."

"Be that as it may, this one can."

"Hmmm," said Ryuk, lost in a long train of thought. Then, suddenly, he laughed. "This just gets more and more interesting."

Rem's face was as stoic as ever. "You must scramble the tapes for Light, Ryuk."

Ryuk laughed even louder. "And why would I do that?"

Rem peered at him, and though her facial muscles lacked the dexterity to express anything beyond an eerie blank stare, she spoke as if to a daft child. "You know that human technology's frequency is now high enough to be able to capture some of our sounds and movements. How much more clearly will it show us to the eyes of someone who has been given sight?"

Ryuk grinned slyly up at Rem. "And why should I care?"

"You have legal rights over Light's soul," Rem went on, ignoring him. "I can't touch his tapes and directly interfere with his fate. You have to do it."

Ryuk leaned back lazily. "I ask you again, Rem...why should I care?"

Ryuk knew her well enough to tell that she was getting frustrated with him, despite her aloof gaze. "That should be obvious," said the female shinigami through grit teeth. "Because that human girl will see you in them, and then they will eventually catch Light for being Kira...and Misa for being the second Kira."