Domino Effect

Warning: The following story contains major spoilers for Death Note and Bleach. Read only if you've finished either or both series (preferrably both).

Ch. 1 - Of Mice and Men

I can't recollect a time I felt any sort of regret for what I've done. Not once.

Not with the notebook, not with Misa, not the people I killed, nor the task force...not even after my father gave his life because of me. No, even then my main concern was to eliminate. Lay to waste my enemies. The ones opposed to true justice. My justice. The god of the new world.

I also don't remember being this frightened since I was a child and got lost in the store. Such simpler days.

But it's understandable. I had barely enough time to think as I made my escape, let alone dwell on what I could have done better. My mistakes. Underestimating that boy whose posture matched your own. I wasn't even thinking logically, coming up with the first thing that came to mind. Refusing to accept defeat, I began to accuse him of setting me up. I even blamed the single man in that room who truly thought of me as his god, only to push him into suicide and take that opportunity to disappear.

It's funny, you know, how they say your life flashes before your eyes when you die. I was still running and yet already felt the cold hand of the reaper nipping at my heels, images of my highschool self appearing before my eyes; when I still believed letting the police do all the work was the right thing, and strived to join them. Such a minimal goal compared to my recent form of thinking.

Still, I refused to believe it was the end. Justice wins in the end, right? Then why was I the one running?

Your successor exceeded where you had not. You, the genius that you were, who second guessed everything, ultimately bringing about your demise.

Even then, falling to my knees a nervouse wreck, I clutch at the railing of the stairs I only halfway ascended. The ironic feeling of my heart giving a shudder before it began to shut off completely. So this was the end...?

I lay there, taking no time for atonement, still. My face no longer contorted, it takes on an almost peaceful look as I stare above me to the morning light filtering from a window...I swear I saw your wide, restless eyes, and in the distortion of the moment I consider whether I should suggest that we should play another game of tennis some time...or would that reveal too much? Would I still be Kira to you? Even in death I continued to analyze your every movement.

Of course I hadn't the breath to make such a proposal and so my lips voiced silent words. I don't even remember passing on, only the exhaustion, and wanting nothing more than to sleep.

A sleep that no one would expect to wake up from.

Getting used to Rukongai food was hard in the beginning, particularly anything with sugar included. Or at least that was the expert opinion of one black haired, onyx eyed shinigami, who has aten a wide variety of sweets. Despite most of the nutrition there resembling something from Japan, the majority of the candy was totally new to him and as mentioned before, difficult to get used to. That is why, rather than eat something he wasn't used to, he decided to stay in his comfort zone for now and stick with plain sugar cubes.

Other than the deserts, boredom was another concept he had to get used to. Becoming accustomed for so long to mind boggling cases and analytical activities, even countless games of shogi and chess was nothing to the ex-detective, winning every time with ease. It seemed even in the afterlife no one was on his intellectual level (not that he was bragging). And it wasn't like he was much for fighting (of course you couldn't tell from his mastery of kickboxing, or so it would seem), and so hunting down these 'hollow' creatures was just a chore to him, whereas to others fighting and destroying them was nearly a game. Thankfully, being in the semi-high position that he was, the man was barely ever stuck with patrolling.

"Ryuzaki."

The sudden interruption from his train of thought pulled the messy haired shinigami out of his daze, pulling his finger from his lip, he was forced to look up with usual round eyes.

"Yes?" L asked, acting as if it hadn't bothered him in the least. In truth, he had become just a tad bit uptight lately because of the aforementioned boredom.

"The captain wants to see you." The faceless member (or at least in L's opinion) disappeared from the doorway with a short bow.

L pushed himself up from the red cushion on the ground, the table covered with stacked sugar cubes in the shape of a castle. The shinigami, clad in the usual black uniform, rather than his preferred plain white long-sleeved and jeans, placed his hands in the pockets of the pants and left the room with his usual slump. He was also barefoot, sticking to that preference at least, barely ever seen with those uncomfortable sandals on.

Ryuzaki, third seat of the 10th division. Despite the fact that everyone knew this was not his true name, he was merely asked a few times by other shinigami out of curiosity, but not pushed to actually reveal it. It was surprising that he would get so far, already starting out in the 5th seat when he left the academy with top marks

"Captain Hitsugaya." L greeted, the door having already been open. He didn't step in until the white haired captain nodded to him.

Hitsugaya straightened the tiny pile of paperwork within his hands, closing his eyes in a distateful fashion, directed at the forms he gingerly set to his left- only to pick up an even thicker pile and set it before him. Without looking up, but lightly opening his icey eyes, he grabbed a stamper as he spoke.

"A new shinigami's graduated. Everyone in the 11th division is either on a mission or isn't willing to do the job," He explained, that annoyed expression returning to his features. "So, Captain Kenpachi requested that I send one of my own in his stead. You're not too busy to show him around, right?" He asked, of course not giving L any choice in the matter. A lot of people say you have less freedom in the 10th division than you would in the 11th, Hitsugaya taking his position more seriously than the aggressive Kenpachi Zaraki. In fact just about everyone on his team enjoyed fighting one way or another, so L was under the impression this newcomer would be no different.

Still, anything to break the boredom of the afterlife would do. "I'm not." L accepted.

Hitsugaya finally looked up, a grateful look, before turning back to his work. "He should be at the entrance by now. Go meet up with him."

L bowed, making his way back through the doorway.

A/N:

Not much of a cliffhanger, eh? It's really more of a prologue to let you know the setting and where the characters stand. Like I said before, it's rated T for now, but it may very well become Mature if I'm feeling up to it.

It may not matter until later in the story, but who should Ichigo be paired with? I was thinking Renji, but if you wanted a girl, then just suggest it in a review! I'm also taking other pairing suggestions as well. There will be a suprise Death Note pairing, too. XD