Death Note: Gods of This New World

DISCLAIMER: obviously, I don't own DEATH NOTE or any affiliated characters. If I did, I'd have Takeshi Obata drawing this as manga.

If you didn't know, this fanfic breaks off from Death Note canon just before L's death. Note the three major changes:

1. L is convinced by Light to join Kira's side, while the rest of the task force, including Watari but excluding Soichiro, are killed.

2. The time-gap is two years, not the canon six. Also attached to this are a few inconsistencies in age, due to my lack of research.

3. Mello's attempt to kidnap Sayu Yagami is unsuccessful, and not preceded by the NPA director's death.

Part One: Affiliation

X

Ryuk followed Misa Amane with an ironic grin, haunting her footsteps. "here comes Light. What will you say?"

Light Yagami stepped forward as Misa embraced him. Covertly, she slid a piece of Death Note paper over his hand, and he gave a sinister grin. "long time no see, Ryuk." The Shinigami chuckled in his haunting manner, and listened as Light continued. "sorry for the wait, but it looks like you're going to get to see the grand finale."

"Light, I'm sorry."

"huh? What's wrong, Misa?"

"I couldn't remember Hideki Ryuga's name. I just couldn't. I'm sorry."

"never mind it. I have a new plan that's even better than killing Ryuzaki."

"but I made the eye trade with Ryuk…"

"you dummy, your remaining lifespan… wait. As much as a price it is, it's good that we'll have Ryuzaki's name for leverage. Ryuk, your duty is to kill everyone on the task force, except Ryuzaki, but counting Watari. I'm confident that it won't extend either my or Misa's lifespan, so you won't die." Light stifled a laugh. He knew that Misa would half her lifespan for him, his new plan hinged on it completely.

"I'm not worried about that, Light. I'm here for entertainment… and apples."

"you will witness the rise of a new world order, all you need to do is kill them."

"even Soichiro? Even your father?"

"thank you for noticing, Ryuk, I have something different planned for my father."

"it will still be fun afterward, right?"

"more fun than anything yet."

"I'll do it."

"Misa, when the others in the room are dead, you'll say Ryuzaki's name out loud, and Ryuk, you need to knock my dad unconscious."

Lawliet sipped a cup of cold, sugar-packed tea, and spun calmly as Light and Misa entered the room. He didn't see Ryuk, who was bound to a Death Note he had never touched, but he saw everyone else die, except Soichiro and Rem, an immortal Shinigami. "his name's L Lawliet," Misa proclaimed, and spelled it out.

Lawliet fell from his chair, and his tea stained the floor. Soichiro drew his gun, but was sent flying by Ryuk, who stepped forward and hit Lawliet with his Death Note, revealing his presence.

"Lawliet." Light sat in his foe's chair. He heard Watari's death gasps on the laptop. "I will never turn you to my side with promises of power, but what about victory?"

"I don't understand."

"join me, L. You are the greatest detective in the world, and you wish to see an end to crime. Help me eradicate crime worldwide, and let it die with us, the most noble criminals in history." Light extended his hand to Lawliet, who lay prone on the floor. "or I could kill you, but I don't want to."

"such conviction. You truly believe you can change the world, and that you are the hero?"

"yes."

"prove it to me, Kira." he took Light's hand, and was unceremoniously hauled to his feet.

"Light, we have a problem!" Ryuk called. "it's Rem, look!"

Rem was turning to dust before their eyes, and Matsuda was dead in a different spot than where he had lain.

"he survived Ryuk… he tried to kill Misa."

"how?" Misa exclaimed.

Light opened his watch's secret compartment. In it was Matsuda's name on a piece of Death Note, and a paragraph mentioning Rem snapping his neck. "no… but to kill a Shinigami… means to surpass a Shinigami…" Rem sighed, and collapsed into dust.

"she violated Shinigami law, by killing a human without use of a Death Note."

"Light, why?" Misa asked.

"Ryuk told me some interesting things, about how Shinigami are created."

X

"to kill a Shinigami, means to surpass a Shinigami. Shinigami cannot mate, although they have genders. All things Rem told me." Light smirked, while writing people to death.

"you know how Shinigami are born?" Lawliet asked.

"yes. To kill a Shinigami means to replace that Shinigami. I am now immortal."

"that's incredible. Why, then, do you need me?"

"I don't need you. You just make it easier."

"actually, you may change that sentiment. Watari is dead, but he passed on a message. I've been trying to find an heir to L's name. They'll assume I'm dead, meaning Watari's star student, Near, will be named my replacement."

"you know his name?"

"no. Only he does. There's another, though, his alias was Mello. He always wanted to surpass Near, but he never could. Assuming my death, he'll move out, trying to defeat you before Near. Beyond that, he doesn't have as much of a moral compass as Near. He'll likely turn to criminal means to catch you."

"all crime must die."

"I pity him."

"I only pity Near. Criminals have no place in this new world."

Light scribbled names at an alarming rate, using Rem's pen, and ripped filled pages from the Death Note. Misa lay on a couch, brooding over Rem's death. Ryuk played a muted video game, and Lawliet sipped tea as serenely as always.

X

Two Years Later

Mello growled through a mouthful of chocolate. "damn it! You idiots couldn't even kidnap a fourteen-year-old girl, and you call yourselves thugs! Sayu Yagami is the only bargaining chip we have the slightest chance of getting."

"they knew we were coming for her. She had a gun, and someone was with her!"

"who?"

"he had long, black hair, kind of a bedhead. And black bags under his eyes. It might have been eyeliner. He was barefoot, and he didn't seem to notice."

Mello dropped his chocolate. "that could only be one man."

"you know him?"

"everyone knows him."

"Mello? Mello, you should see this."

"what? It had better be good!" Mello stood, and the thug led him to a TV. On it was L Lawliet. He was standing before a press conference.

"I am Kira," Lawliet proclaimed. "I hold the power of death, but I choose to spare the innocent. Thus, I will create a world free of evil. L has been dead for two years, dead, by my hand."

"liar!"

Lawliet turned his gaze on the cameraman who spoke. The cameraman drew a gun, apparently an assassin, but collapsed of a heart attack before he could take aim. "that is L," Mello said, stunned. "L is Kira."

"so we can't win!" the thug began to panic, and almost turned and ran.

"not like this." Mello unwrapped a new chocolate bar. "we need to go to Near. We need his help to take down L. Separately, Near and I are almost as skilled as L, but not even his equal. Together, we surpass him. Together, we can stop Kira."

X

At this same moment, in an office the polar opposite of Mello's hideout, Near watched this broadcast, twirling a lock of his snow-white hair. "people without facts will believe lies," he mused. "L is clearly not Kira, but Kira's subordinate."

"how could you possibly know that?" a CIA agent asked.

"he hasn't revealed everything, knowing there's still people like us chasing him. Thus, he used a loyal follower to substitute his face. He has corrupted L's mind, made him believe that killing every criminal on earth is the noble path. Yet, having the people see a man who claims to be Kira and isn't killed, is an enormous advantage. He knows of my existence, and he's waiting to proclaim victory until after my death. He used L as his substitute to make me give up."

The cell phone on the desk rang, Near plucked it from its pedestal of white dominoes. "Mello, you've seen the broadcast?"

"yes. How did you know it was me?"

"your timing made it obvious."

"so you know L is Kira."

"he isn't." Near explained his deductions.

"oh, how did I miss that? Stupid!"

"relax, Mello. Remember, you called for a reason. My guess is, assuming we could outwit L together, you've called for help."

"yeah, but now we know we have to deal with L, and someone who defeated him! Someone smart enough to deduce his identity!"

"no, Kira never did that much. We know that for a while, Kira, or someone with similar powers and beliefs, was killing without names. L mentioned how this is possible to me, in a theory based on his deductions, that through making a deal with the possessing Shinigami, to modify the eyes of a person to see a name by looking at a victim's face. I assume he made this deal, or found someone who had, to use L's name as blackmail."

"what's a Shinigami?"

Near smirked. "L never mentioned it to you?"

"no.""a Shinigami is a god of death. Since I'm telling you this, I should mention that Kira kills using a notebook given by a Shinigami, by writing a name in it while picturing the person's face in their mind. I also know that there are multiple notebooks in the human world, perhaps as many as three."

"if L told you all this, did he tell you who his suspect was?"

"no. even if he did, we don't know how early Kira discovered L's name. the suspect he might have given would be someone unrelated to Kira, with bogus deductions to explain the bogus theory."

X

"Ryuk. I am a Shinigami now, correct?"

"I'm not supposed to explain it to humans, but now I can tell you. When you outwitted and killed Rem, you became destined to replace her, meaning after you die, you'll become a Shinigami. However, your lifespan hasn't changed, and you still can't extend it by writing names in the Death Note."

"and a Shinigami named Gelus sacrificed himself to save Misa, thereby bequeathing his Shinigami status to Misa, correct?"

Ryuk chuckled. "you already know this stuff, Light. Why are you asking, after two years?"

"I need confirmation. That's all. I'm thinking of making the eye trade later."

Lawliet dipped a chocolate cookie in his hot chocolate. "Christmas is coming up, how will Kira celebrate?"

"you're not referring to me, L." Light stood, and smiled, but it was not his usual demonic grin. "all four of us are Kira, not just me. Ryuk, Misa, and I all have Death Notes, and I'm planning to get you one as a Christmas present."

"you know, I could kill you with it."

"could he, Ryuk, or would my Shinigami destiny stop him?"

"he could kill you, but he wouldn't take away your reincarnation. You'd come back as a Shinigami."

"then he'll get a Death Note."

Lawliet's cell phone rang. He flipped it open, and held it up awkwardly. "this is Hideki Ryuga."

"no, this is L. would you be so kind as to put Kira on the phone?"

"how did you find me?"

"you are nostalgic. Hideki Ryuga was a clever alias, so you wanted to keep it. I simply searched the Kanto phonebook, and hung up on anyone with a genuine Japanese accent. Is Kira there?"

"yes, but he won't talk to you, Near."

"not yet, at least," Light muttered.

Near waited, but eventually hung up.

"so how do you plan to get another Death Note?"

"my assumption is that I can go to the Shinigami world now, and get myself a Death Note."

"nope, sorry." Ryuk turned off his video game, and floated over the conversing humans. "you're not a Shinigami, yet, so you can't go."

"if I continue to overestimate my abilities, we may have a problem."

"imagine if you had killed me, Near and Mello together might have been able to beat you."

"maybe. But here you are." Light stood. "write down the number he called with."

X

Ryuk carefully wrote the name of a young boy in his Death Note, making an artwork of the name. "Renu Faji." when he dotted the final letter, he felt a surge of life energy. "your death was not wasted."

"I never knew you were so sentimental, Ryuk." Light sat next to the brooding Shinigami. "who was he?"

"a toddler in India. He would have lived to be ninety-three." Ryuk brought back his demented Cheshire grin. "there's another Shinigami named Sidoh, whose Death Note I originally gave to you. He doesn't have one."

"he can take one of mine. You remember, the task force had Higuchi's Death Note in custody, but you killed them? I had planned on giving it to L, but Sidoh can have it. L doesn't want to actually put the rope around evil's neck, he's content to merely help me outthink Near and Mello."

"I must say, Light, you really are building an advantage. With Misa's Shinigami eyes, L's intelligence, and the loose ends of the task force eliminated, your defences are nearly impenetrable."

"nearly. But my offence is lacking." Light sketched a picture of Ryuk, perched on a telephone wire, in his Death Note. "you've met this Sidoh."

"we used to gamble. He came to me and asked where his Death Note was."

"tell him we'll give him a Death Note, but that I'd like to meet him afterward." Light flipped open his cell phone, and called Near. "this is Kira. You wanted to speak to me."

"prove to me you are Kira."

"no. hang up if you want, but I won't give you anything for free."

"fine. I know about the notebook of death."

"it's called a Death Note, imbecile." Light laughed.

"how dare you laugh at me?"

"I'll tell you how I dare, you miserable pretender to L's throne. Even now, I am gathering forces to my cause, among them Shinigami and L himself. Soon, I'll have another Shinigami to bend to my will, and I'll send him to look you in the eye and kill you. You can't kill them, you can't block them with walls, you can't even see them unless you touch their Death Note. Your only defence is to run, forever."

Near hung up.

X

Mello hung up on the insult-flinging murderer, and growled. "we were right, Near. L is working for Kira. Where does the trace put him?"

Near sighed. "he's on a street in Tokyo. It's packed with people."

"no luck with his hideout, then?"

"no, unless we assume he's close to it."

"not good enough." Mello unwrapped a bar of chocolate. "you want half?"

"I don't eat candy."

"you're what, 12? Every kid your age eats candy."

"not me."

"fine. More for me."

Near flicked the tower of playing cards in front of him, and watched it topple. "it may be noon in Japan, but it's past my bedtime here."

"super-genius 12-year-old who doesn't eat chocolate and enforces his own curfew. You're too grown up for your own good, Near."

"L was always tired. I guess that's one of the ways you'll turn out to be like him."

Mello watched Near leave the office, and then set down his chocolate bar on Near's desk. He used the laptop to search "Kira," and found a website that claimed it was run under orders from Kira himself. He posted a message to Kira on the site. "when Near and I find you, we'll kill you."

He waited, and finally got a response, from someone using the pen name Ryuk. "Kira's not here right now. This is the real Mello?"

"yes," he typed.

"you know about Shinigami and notebooks?"

"yes," he typed again. His heart beat faster.

"I am a Shinigami. It's been fun, watching all the plotting and battling."

Mello bit off a piece of chocolate. "what is Kira's name?"

"I won't tell you. No fun in it."

"this isn't a game."

"chess isn't a game for the pawns who fight and die. It is for the player."

"can Shinigami die?"

"it's complicated, but yes."

"I'll kill you."

"you have anger management issues."

"that's what they all say. Then I kill them."

"I'm laughing, but you can't hear it from there."

"tell Kira I'll keep him alive and torture him till he snaps."

"now, that's fun."

"damn you." Mello didn't get an answer, Ryuk was gone.

X

"there's no way he knows about my immortality," Light mused. "it's only coincidence that he wants to drive me to insanity. If he succeeds, he'll actually win."

Lawliet sank a fork into a slice of cake. "the odds are still heavily in our favour." he mumbled through a mouthful of cake, "I never thought when I started chasing you, that anything like this could happen. I truly believed I had thought of every possible scenario." he swallowed. "so the game has changed, the teams are different, but we can still lose?"

"yes. Now, death can't stop me, only imprisonment can. For Near to beat me, he'll have to find out everything about me, including my reincarnation. Mello can beat me, but only if Near gives in to Mello's temper."

"and how do we win?" Misa asked.

"simple. Kill them both."

Ryuk threw the stem of an apple into the fireplace, then picked up another. Trying to swallow it whole, he choked. "damn, it's stuck!"

"L, would you be so kind?"

"how should I do it?"

"the same kick to the head you used on me."

L stood, and turned his back to Ryuk. He dropped onto his hands and one leg, launching his other foot at Ryuk's head. Ryuk flew headfirst into the fireplace, but turned intangible before impact. The apple fell out of his throat into the flames, where it crackled and popped. Light burst out laughing, and Misa followed suit. After briefly appearing furious, Ryuk restored his face to the usual demented grin, and chuckled. He grabbed another apple.