Vision
by Leareth

For Amei, published August 2004

He dreams sometimes, that he stands on an impossibly tall spire of dull crystal, a cloak of deepest black swathed about him and a scythe of bone and steel in his hand. Far, far below him, the people of the world go about their lives like the self-absorbed creatures they are, touching and avoiding each other at random. Now and again, but, they will glance towards the spire, feeling his cold eyes upon them, and shudder when they sense him lift his arm and with the scythe, point to one of their number who then falls down dead. He is the unseeen god of death, judge and executioner both of the human race.

It's a ridiculous dream. Light knows the idealised image of Death, the cloak and scythe, is about as far from the truth as he is from innocence.

In the morning, he tells Ryuku about his dream, only because the god of death asked if there was a reason why humans moved in their sleep. He relates the dream's details detachedly, bored, mainly because he knows that if he doesn't explain the bug-eyed blue-black punk won't shut up until he does. Pity he's run out of apples; those keep Ryuku quiet. When he's done, Ryuku laughs that thick, harsh laugh of his that always sounds like bones being crushed.

"Heh. So basically you dreamt that you're a pretty death god. Y'know, back in my world, you'd be considered a freak." Light merely smiles a little and continues getting dressed. It's Sunday, and he should at least show his face to his family and help his sister with her homework to make sure he's left alone for the rest of the day. "So was it fun?"

"Was what fun?" The weather looks fine outside; he won't need much more than a sweater.

"Being a god of death."

"Oh." Light picks out a sweater of rusty red and pulls it on. "In a way. Absolute power over the lives of everyone in the world, anyone would get a kick out of that. But I'm not just anyone, am I. In such a scenario I am a 'god', therefore from that reasoning, I am supposedly an immortal, superior being and by most people's idea of 'god', perfect. It also means that I am completely untouchable, but what's the fun in that? You told me yourself; back in your realm, you just didn't feel alive. You weren't having fun, that's why you dropped your Death Note book where I, a human, could find it. Now that human is taking over your job, but since I'm human, I'm not perfect, I'm not untouchable. If L finds me I could very well be killed. That danger is what gives the element of 'fun' to this whole enterprise."

Light goes to turn on the TV. Immediately the morning news, related by an attractive anchor-woman, fills the screen. It's the usual stuff; violence, politics, international unrest, more speculation about Kira ... Light watches intently, searching for any media information as to his faceless opponent whose name consists of a single letter. There isn't any today. News is mundane. A bulletin about the trial of a man held for a rape and murder comes on; Light idly notes the name down for later use. Perched on the end of the bed, Ryuku watches Light watch the TV. "Do you ever get tempted to use the Death Note on people other than your kind's 'deserving scum'?" he asks.

"Hm?" Light looks up, tapping the end of his pen against his lip. "Do I ever think about writing the names of people I want to die who aren't necessarily criminals, is that what you're asking?"

"Yeah. Just outta curiousity."

Light shrugs and leans back in his chair. "It's tempting, I'll admit that. If I was some social reject without any friends who got bullied at school, I'd certainly be tempted to knock off everyone who insulted me in various horrendous ways to 'get them back'. Luckily for my colleagues, I'm not."

"Yes, oh Mr. Top Perfect Score Student." Ryuku leers.

"But that kind of thing is really petty." Light flicks off the TV and puts the remote aside. "It's small-minded, and serves no greater purpose. Such people have no vision, and when it comes to this kind of power, undeserving. Besides, killing off so many people near yourself is just asking to be caught. Me, on the other hand, I don't just want to live my life acquiring material wealth or fame or power. Neither do I want to simply rise and do something, get written off into history and forgotten a decade or so later. But to be able to cause an actual drastic change in the world -- now that is something. That is what I aim to do, to actually effect a global change by killing off all the criminals in international society.

"Some of those TV critics call it vigilante justice. Me, I call it a necessary evil."

Light heads for the door. He can hear his mother calling and his sister talking. With his hand on the door-handle, he pauses and turns to Ryuku. "And who knows?" He smiles, an expression of controlled intensity like a smoldering flame. "I might actually become a god, if not literally, then in the mind of every single person on earth."

Light pulls the door closed behind him. Ryuku stares at it for a moment, yellow teeth gleaming. Then he starts to laugh. If there is a God, He must have an interesting way of thinking if out of all people in the world to pick up Ryuku's Death Note, it just had to be him.

Somewhere across the world, yet another man falls dead. Ryuku spreads his wings and hops off the bed, passing through the door down to the kitchen where the humans are. Maybe Light in his infinite mercy will pass him an apple later.

 

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