Hey, guys. So, this is in actuality my first bonafide attempt at writing fanfiction, and my longest-running one so far. I originally started this story on Facebook in May 2015, wanting to do a gender-flipped retelling of the Death Note manga series. Spurred on by positive feedback, I've continued to write this fic until August, when it went on hiatus. In order to bring my work to a broader audience, I'll now post the entirety of my Death Note fic on this website, and continue the story here.

We Reapers live a quiet life in the Underworld. Too quiet for me. Everyone else just wastes their time in apathy and frivolity. I need something more interesting to do.

"Hey, Nazara!" says Harbinger, drawing me out of my reverie. "You wanna play Checkers?"

"Checkers? No, I've played it 4 million times already!"

"Yeah, well the Overworld humans really do take their time coming up with new things to do, don't they?"

"Have you ever heard of video games, Harbinger? We should be getting all the new releases as they come, but nobody seems to give a crap about infrastructure around here, do they?"

"Well, can't argue with that, really. I guess obscenely long lifespans have a way of making everyone complacent."

"Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if things are more fun over at the Overworld." suddenly, it hits me, "Or if I could make some fun of my own, for old time's sake!"

"Oh, I see that look in your eyes, Nazara! What are you thinking?"

"None of your business."

"You're so hot when you act all rude like that!"

"Very funny. And I'm still not sleeping with you."

I quickly walk away from him, towards a little portal that exists at the back of the arcade. My old friend Rem designed this ditty, allowing us to look at the Overworld for our amusement whenever we felt like it.

But I've worked out a way to do more than just look...

Another day, another lecture. I can't exactly say they get on my nerves; I am the top-ranked student of my class, after all. But after a point, all this education just seems to be holding me back. I want to cut loose, make a difference in the real world, you know?

"Anna!" the teacher's voice shouts, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Yes ma'am!"

"Can you tell me whether these two equations can have a solution?"

Ah, a pair of linear equations in two variables. I spent all last night looking over these. Partly because we have exams coming up in a couple months, and partly because I have nothing better to do these days. Saving up for that PlayStation 4 is taking a while.

"No, ma'am, they don't. They-"

"Thank you, Anna. George, care to explain why?"

"Er..."

I take no pleasure in watching George stumble through his answers. To be honest, I have a bit of a crush on him. Maybe I could tutor him for a bit at my house. I'll probably discuss this with Mom and Dad first, but I don't think they'll-

!

What was that? Hmm...some sort of notebook just dropped out of the sky and fell into the lawn.

Doesn't look like anyone else has noticed. Maybe I'll check it out.

Ah, recess! I look forward to it with just as much eagerness as the everyone else, something I feel compelled to keep pointing out whenever they mock for being a "nerd". Everyone wants to get the kind of grades I'm getting, but I wonder how they'll feel when they find themselves at the receiving end of the shit they put me through.

Hmm...ah, yes, the notebook! It's right there in the middle of the lawn. Doesn't look like anyone else is bothered about it. But it just dropped out of the sky.

I wonder what it-!

Death Note

What the hell?

A Death Note? What is this?

There seem to be a bunch of instructions on the inner cover.

The person who's name is written in this notebook shall die.

Holy shit, that's messed up. What kind of nutcase would ever make something like this? Talk about a twisted joke. Then again, we do live in a world of shitty scare-mongering junk mail, among other things.

I'm taking this with me, and when I find out who dropped this...

"Mom, I'm home!"

"Anna! How was your day today?"

"Oh, the usual, you know." I say, deciding not to tell her about my new notebook just yet.

"It better be the usual. We wouldn't want your stellar academic performance to suffer now, would we young lady?"

I sigh. "Really, mom?"

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you." she says, trying to deflect my exasperation with a chuckle.

"I know, mom." I say, and kiss her on the cheek. And then I run to my room.

Hmm...other than that notebook, the day has been rather uneventful. Which means I can't stop fucking thinking about it.

I finally give into the tempation and open up my bag. Sure enough, the "Death Note" is right there. A hardbound, sleek black notebook that just happens to feature the word "Death" on its cover.

I take another look at the inner cover, and read the instructions properly this time.

1. The person who's name is written in this notebook shall die.

2. Provided you actually picture the guy's face when you're writing it, dummy! There are just SO many people with the same goddamn name out there, it's frustrating as fuck!

3. Anyway, after writing down your deathee's name, the default setting is death by heart attack within 40 seconds.

4. You can modify the cause of death if you choose to add it on within 40 seconds of writing the name. Don't take longer than 6 minutes to finish up, though!

5. The notebook is A4 sized with around 240 pages, for starters. If you somehow manage to run out of pages for whatever reason, don't worry. I know you have the notebook, and I'll be seeing you soon.

And that's where the instructions on this side of the cover end. I take a look at the instructions written at the inner back cover of the book, but they make it pretty clear that the author of this mystery diary went off the deep end, what with all the mentions of Reapers, and the Underworld and everything. I should probably just take some pictures of this and post them online for the laughs.

But man, the idea is so fucking crazy. So crazy that...nah, no way, no way!

But if it is...dammit, what is wrong with you, Anna Akame, get a hold of yourself!

Okay, you want to test it? Fine, let's test it!

Okay. In the monumentally unlikely event I actually do end up killing someone, I should probably pick someone nobody cares about. No, no, more like, we'd be better off without. You know, like a serial killer or a bank robber or something. Hmm...oh, what's that on my news feed? Huh?

"Robert Donnell, a man wanted for the murder of fourteen teenagers at the Mohawk Valley massacre, is holding twenty people hostage at the McCarthy High School."

"Robert Donnell has an extensive criminal record, having been convicted of breaking and entering, conspiracy to commit murder, and attempted murder, among other things."

"Police have the area completely surrounded. Our sources tell us that hostage negotiators are currently in talks with Mr Donnell."

And then I see it. A mug shot of Mr Robert Donnell pops up right on my screen. I know his name, and I know what he looks like.

I write his name down into the notebook.

I count the seconds, and as they go up to forty, I'm starting to feel a little relieved. Whew, of course this was a prank, of course...

"This just in! Police are storming the building!'

"All hostages reported safe! We can see them being escorted out now!"

"We have an exclusive update on Robert Donnell! Witnessess say that he simply fell unconscious mid-negotiations."

"Robert Donnell has just been pronounced dead."

Oh my God. Oh my...oh...no, no, this has to be a coincidence

This is just one person. That's not enough evidence. I need more evidence before I can come to a conclusion about this.

Alright, another guy. Just like this one. A criminal, or an asshole, someone we'd be better off without. If another guy dies like that, I could probably still...shit...shit, what's going on?!

"Mom!" I call out, heading down the stairs.

"What is it?"

"I'm going out for a walk."

"Oh, while you're at it, could you get the groceries too? Here's the list!"

I hastily grab the list and dart off before she has the chance to say anything else.

Alright, calm down and walk. A nice long walk's always calmed me down whenever I've been stressed. Just take a nice, long walk, and think this through.

Alright, the groceries. Yeah, the groceries. Just go ahead and get those. One thing at a time.

Okay, here's the shop. Now I'll just...what the?

Some bikers are manhandling a girl. Looks like they have her surrounded. Maybe...maybe this is my chance!

They're getting pretty rough with her too. I edge around the scene, finding a nice little corner where I can see things without drawing attention to myself.

"Get off me!" she screams.

"Say my name, and I might just listen to you." says the guy grabbing on to her. He might be their leader.

"Goddamit, let me GO!" she screams louder, and tries to break away.

"Harley Donahue! Say it! SAY IT!" he screams.

This guy is an absolute piece of shit. I almost want him to die.

But anyway, time to continue the experiment.

"Harley Donahue. Death by vehicular collision."

If this notebook really does work, I should see it happen right in front of me.

"HARLEY! HARLEY DONAHUE!" I hear the woman scream.

Harley throws her off to the side. "She's all yours, now." he says to his fellow bikers. "I'm heading back."

As his bike makes its turn into the freeway, a speeding truck rams it straight off the road.

"HARLEY!" screams one of the bikers, and they all abandon the girl and rush towards the wreckage that is Harley's bike.

I'm able to get a good look at it myself. Harley's body is bloody and mangled. There's no way he survived.

Which means this Death Note actually works.

Which means I just killed two people.

I quietly enter the shop and buy the groceries. I need to get back home. I can't let my mom start to worry. I can't let her find out about this.

By the time I reach home, I find that both my father and brother have come back. My brother's a software engineer. My father is a goddamn homicide detective for the NYPD. Shit, shit!

Okay, Anna, calm down. Those two deaths were accidental. Nobody suspects you of a thing.

"Oh, hey dad! Hey, Ben!"

"Hey, Anna! You took your time." replies my mother.

"Yeah, well, here are the groceries!" I say, as flippantly as I can. Judging by the reaction of my family, it worked.

"So, how was your day?" Ben asks me. "Mine was hell..."

"She didn't even answer your question, Ben!" says my dad in mock outrage.

"Ah, well, it was the usual, you know. Same old, same old."

"Well, let me know when things get interesting!" Ben replies.

"I'll head up to my room now." I tell them, and head up to my room.

I set down the Death Note, taking another look at the two names.

Robert Donnell

Harley Donahue. Death by vehicular collision.

The notebook actually works. It wasn't a joke at all. Whoever dropped this...oh God!

I killed those people. I'm a murderer. And now, what...what do I do?

But then again-

"Anna! Dinner's ready!"

"Coming!"

The dinner is a quiet affair. I keep as guarded and calm as I can be around my family. Nobody appears to suspect anything.

Which is for probably the best. I can't involve my family in this mess.

Finally, dinner's over and I can return to my room for bedtime. Nobody's going to bother me until next morning.

What do I do?

This notebook is real. Which means that aside from the two people I just killed, I could kill others as well. Many others, in fact. And as for the two people I killed, they were deranged, clear-cut troublemakers who could have caused a lot of harm if I hadn't stopped them. They were bad people. Awful people.

And there's no shortage of terrible people like them. I could find out who they are, and put an end to their crimes before they hurt any more people. Would it really be so bad if I did?

In fact, was it really so wrong of me to kill those two people? No, no, I don't think it was. It was exactly what I should have done.

In fact, people should know about me. Not about who I am, but what I can do. With the stroke of my pen, I can deliver justice. I can right so many wrongs. I can use this power to finally make a difference in the real world. A phenomenal, everlasting difference. I can punish the evil and horrible people in this world, and in the process, remind everyone else how they should live.

I will ensure that the only people who carry on in this world are of good character and honorable nature. I will clean out the rot that has set in. I will accomplish what generations of mankind have tried to, but haven't entirely succeeded in doing. Because they didn't hold the power that I do. They didn't have the determination that I do.

I will save the world from itself. And I have no time to waste.

I immediately turn on my computer, and browse the news, the encyclopedias, any information source that I can trust. And I find the people I'm looking for.

Serial killers, drug dealers, terrorists, rapists. All their names and faces. All their fates sealed by my pen.

The search goes on. As does my writing. Page after page gets filled with the names of the lowest of the low. The first two people I killed couldn't hold a candle to the horrors so many of these monsters have committed.

I don't write down the causes of death for any of these people. They will all die of heart attacks. People will see a pattern. They will know their savior has arrived.

My crusade goes well into the early morning hours. By the time I decide to stop, I already know it's too late for me to get any sleep. But that's alright. Losing some sleep is a laughable price to pay for what I've accomplished. What I've just started to accomplish.

The next day at school is a bit of a struggle due to my lack of sleep. I need to rethink my goals from a long-term perspective. Though what I am doing is of paramount importance, I cannot sacrifice my life as a student for it. I'll need to preserve my academic standing if I am to avoid future complications in carrying on with my mission.

I'll make the necessary adjustments to my daily routine. It will take time for me to adapt to my new situation, to my new duties. But I will adapt.

And a week later, I have adapted considerably. My academic performance has once again stabilized, being pretty much as strong as it used to be. And so has my performance as this world's savior.

I make my way into my room, take out the Death Note from its carefully guarded location, and take another look at the progress I've made. Soon enough, the number of monsters who have died will be too many to ignore. I just need to keep doing what I'm doing, one day at a time.

"I see you're enjoying yourself, Anna Akame."

With a jolt I turn around. I see a woman in front of me.

She is beautiful. So good looking, in fact, that I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone I'd met who could compare with her beauty. And the smile she wears is almost saintlike. But I can detect the mischief hidden within it.

"Who are you?" I ask, politely.

"My name is Nazara. I'm one of the Reapers of the Underworld, and the former owner of that Death Note."

"Reapers?" I shudder in spite of myself.

"Well, you're certainly handling this better than most other people who've met me. Yes, I'm a Reaper who's job is to collect the dead souls from this world when their time is up."

"I see."

"Relax, Anna, I'm not here to do anything to you."

"You're...not?" I then realize that I'm surprised.

"No, I just came by to fulfill a promise."

It is then that I remember one of the instructions written on the inside cover of the Death Note.

I know you have the notebook, and I'll be seeing you soon.

"So, then, have you been watching me ever since I found the notebook?"

"Why yes, I have!" she replies. "And I must say, it has been quite entertaining. Far more entertaining than any other time I dropped the Death Note here."

"You...you what?"

"I keep dropping these books of death around here from time to time, whenever I'm bored." Nazara begins, "Most of the time people test it out, realize they've just become murderers, and lose their minds. Some rare exceptions try to tell everyone around them about it, which is when I have to retrieve the offending notebook, and make them all forget about the whole affair. But embracing the notebook and all its power? I've certainly seen people consider it, but you must be the first person I've met who actually went all the way."

"I'm...I'm flattered."

"Feel about my statements however you want. I'm not here to pass any sort of judgment. Unlike you, it would seem."

"Look, I'm trying to-"

"I know, I know, kill all the bad people, make the world a beautiful place, yadayadayada. I just wanted to ask you a little question, if you would humor me."

"Okay. Shoot."

"Hey, Anna! Got a minute?"

Oh no. It's Ben.

"Relax." Nazara says. "As long as Ben doesn't touch the Death Note, he won't even know I'm here!"

I quickly stash away the Death Note, and open the door.

"Hey, sorry to bother you." Ben says, his voice hassled, "But have you seen my USB drive anywhere?"

"No, I haven't-"

"It's alright, Ben!" I hear my mom scream. "I found it!"

"Oh! Oh thank God! Sorry to bother you, Anna!" he says, and promptly leaves.

I close the door behind him, and then turn to Nazara, who was in plain sight the whole time.

"See? Told you."

"So...Ben couldn't see or hear you?"

"Yep. And unless he holds the Note in his hands, he'll never be able to."

"Interesting." I say.

"And now, let's get back to my question. If, say, your efforts to purify the world succeed, and the world is only populated by the kind-hearted and good-natured people you approve of, won't that make you the only monster left?"

I think over Nazara's question for a moment. Then I speak.

"The thing about power is, it also gives you a lot of responsibility. Now that I have embraced my power to steer the world in the right direction, I must also bear the responsibility of making the necessary sacrifices to ensure I succeed, regardless of what anyone else thinks. I may appear to be the only monster left once I've succeeded. But that is because I am the only one determined enough to lead the world into its rightful future, into its ideal state. If I have to sacrifice my life, my peace of mind, and my dignity for that, I will. So that everyone who is living a happier, healthier and safer life because of me, doesn't have to."

"Bravo, Anna, you are quite the wordsmith!" says Nazara. I can't tell if she's genuinely complementing or mocking me. "And you really are a very interesting human being. I look forward to getting to know you."