A oneshot conceived while listening to 'Blue Lips' by Regina Spektor. It doesn't have much to do with the song at all, and in no way is it a song fic, just a sort of introspective short/alternate character story, mostly about Light, with a bit of Misa thrown in. Yeah, it's crazy short. I don't really care.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ohba-sensei and Takeshi Obata-sensei, NOT me. Nor do I make any money from posting this free to read fanfiction.

Perhaps

A oneshot Death Note fanfiction

By: WolfishMoon

Perhaps it was a good thing that Yagami Raito picked up the Death Note that long passed afternoon, because it meant that he got to play a central role in a war that was so much bigger than himself: it was a war between justice and hypocrisy, individuality and societal norms, the gift of a second chance, and the thought that a second chance was just one too many.

But beyond all that, the killer notebook saved him from a life of normalcy.

If Yagami Raito never picked up that little black book, he would graduate from Tokyo University with honors, join the police force and be just as honorable as his father.

He would be laughed at because of his perpetually perfect hair- and he would laugh along. He would cry about cases he couldn't close, and smile as he locked handcuffs around a set of hands that were covered in invisible blood.

Perhaps he would work with L, upon occasion, or even meet Misa Amane somehow, and, for whatever reason, love her in return. Perhaps they would have children. They would laugh and cry, live and die, and they'd be completely normal.

But Raito would never meet Ryuuk, and Misa would never meet her dear, dear Rem.

They would never meet a reclusive insomniac panda detective face to face, they would never bring Yotsuba Kira to justice.

They would never be the God and Goddess of a new world ruled by fear.

And they would never know what the hell they were missing- or why their wonderfully normal lives left them feeling too empty, too unfulfilled.

A/N of 8.27.2013: Review! If you want me to follow it up with L's side of the what if, review.

I might still do it, and no matter what, I'll post it as 2nd chapter to this, but I want them to stand alone and be somewhat separate.

A/N of 8.30.2013: added a colon to the first sentenced and slightly changed the wording that comes right after it.