AN: If knowing L's real name is a spoiler to anyone. D:

Whatever, read the fic. :D

Lawliet did as he was told, a first, he decided, and also a last.

When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of the same creature, all identical. They had the same large protruding eyes, same yellowing skin falling off in places, like they were all dead. They were all basically humanoid in shape, too, but skinny, and Lawliet could see bones sticking out. He shuddered when some of them seemed to look him in the eye. Tired, dead eyes. Bloodshot. He looked at the rest of them to avoid this.

They wore the same white plain outfit, ripped in places- all the same places, on each one. Just a shirt and pants. The collar-length hair was half-white, half-black, with no rhyme or reason, just streaks of both colors, and it stuck out. The feet were bare, chains wrapped around the ankles particularly, along with the wrists. Some around the waist, too. Wings stuck out from their backs, spiky, feathery, angelic white (with a few black feathers here and there) wings at odds with the rest of their bodies. A little black book lay at the side of each one, with a little pen. Lawliet recognized the book, of course, it was the weapon that had killed him.

But if they were going to use it on him, they hadn't before. So he felt rather safe, despite the terrifying things surrounding him. But the creatures looked bored.

Lawliet scratched one leg with his own bare foot, trying to figure out what, exactly, was going on. The creatures mimicked him, and he suddenly realized this was a room of mirrors.

The creatures were him.

He yelled and fell backwards. The creatures all did the same thing, and Lawliet was never going to forget the look of terror on his own face.

And that was then, the mirrors all shattered, and Lawliet lost all consciousness.

He opened his eyes again. The mirrors were gone, but the book remained. He clutched it, flipping through the blank pages.

"Knew you were gonna be a shinigami," said the nearest creature. It seemed to be smiling at him, with sharp, yellowing teeth. "You had that sensibility. That I-don't-give-a-damn attitude."

"That's what I am?" Lawliet asked. "I'm a... shinigami?"

"Yep. The name's Ryuuk, by the way. See?" Ryuuk gestured to above his head.

Oh. Lawliet realized he saw Ryuuk's name written there.

"...Oh. My name is Lawliet."

"I know."

There didn't seem to be much else to say. Lawliet felt... odd. He couldn't remember anything before waking up. He just knew he had a name, and that he'd died by the Deathnote. He knew... sort of what he'd looked like before. But what was before? Ryuuk had mentioned the before, he realized. "You had..." He was all set to ask Ryuuk about it, but Ryuuk spoke first.

"Everyone who dies at the hands of a Deathnote becomes a shinigami."

"Did Light become a shinigami?"

The words were out of his new mouth before he realized it was nonsense. Light? Who was Light?

Ryuuky made a face.

"Eh, maybe. He might've. I don't know yet. It's tricky. Deathnote users have a different fate than those who die at the hands of a Deathnote. See, their fate has to be decided. By the Gods. Most of them go to Mu. Nothingness. There haven't been that many in history, anyway." Ryuuk made a face. "I'm surprised you remember him, actually. You shouldn't. Guess they didn't do such a good job wiping your memories. They've been getting real lax about that lately, what with all the new shinigami and all. Sometimes the stronger memories stick. What else do you remember?"

"Nothing, actually."

Ryuuk cackled.

"Good. Anyway, since I'm the shinigami that owns the Deathnote that killed you... now, anyway, it used to belong to Rem, I'm the one who gives you the rules. Here ya go. Keep this with you at all times. And now, Lawliet, I have stuff to do. So I'm off. Bye." Ryuuk handed him a scroll, and flew off.

Lawliet did not like this place. He did not like not knowing, and he did not know anything in this place.

He decided to start with the one thing he did know, and that was if he didn't go over to a hole in the ground and find a few humans to kill, he was going to die soon.

AN:

Okey-dokey, I should not be starting a new multi-chapter fic but gah, silly plot bunnies attacked me. Plus, I wanted to imagine L as a shinigami. xD But I made him too pretty. D: Oh, well. He wouldn't be one of those shinigami that look like lumps, anyway.