Do you know?

Grey skies. Neutral, either or. The way of individuals. Either or, a wishy-washy sentiment. Clouds drifted by, then out of sight, meshing with the gradual onset of darkness coming from over the horizon. The downtown streets of Shibuya were densely populated with all sorts. An enclosure constructed of monolithic buildings plastered with digital billboards alongside storefronts. A zoo. That was to say, we are all specimens on display. Cameras could be found in every corner. High, low. Even on one's person. Scrutiny for all.

Chatter competing for dominance. Overlapping and melting into a white noise of indistinct voices. As soon as one caught the first, they were onto the next. In the same manner as their footsteps, it was a mindless function.

Mirthless laughter parted from his mouth, accompanied by a puff of vapour. This world is lacking in guidance. He filtered through the crowds, receiving looks for his inexplicable amusement. Changing the world, I think myself a visionary. As he moved, he noticed his foot slip slightly. Careless. Looking down, he spotted a black notebook incongruent with the environment. On its cover, the words 'Death Note'.

Light knelt down, reaching out for the book. His index finger closed in on it. What a juvenile piece of garbage. It was picked up. Out of curiosity, he flicked through it, running through empty pages before landing on a page titled 'How to use the Death Note.'. Meanwhile, an undetectable presence manifested itself to his rear.

Crooked patchworks of skin shoddily grafted to one another with staples. Some parts white, others the colour of necrosis conflicting with the pink colour of life in sections. Slits for eyes beneath an inky neck-length shag of hair. "Light, do you know?" They tilted their head, messily curtaining their face with loose locks. Pleasingly curved black lips slotting into place to form an airtight seal.

Did someone just say my name? I don't recognize the voice. Light turned around to them. Clocking the filthy hand resting on his shoulder. A beggar? He swiped it away, only to find that his hand phased through. "Wh-" Distance grew between them as Light stumbled backwards. Did my hand just? He ran a hand through his hair to smooth it. I mustn't be feeling well.

"Tsk, tsk." They waved their finger at him scoldingly. "You don't get to touch me, human. Oi, go and give my Death Note to that girl over there." They pointed into a random girl's direction, puffing a breathy sigh all the while. "Why did I have to get a guy as a host? Damn it." They kicked the ground out of frustration, skipping a stone with their foot.

"Yours?" Light cautiously eyed the rebellious figure stood before him, catching onto an anomaly. Is it just me, or does nobody else notice this person? The way they're dressed should be drawing attention. "You discarded it, consider it yours no longer. Besides, there's no proof it's yours. Is your name written on it? No." 'Human', 'Host', 'Death Note'. I'll hold onto this, they've intrigued me. Light continued to walk to the bemusement of the unknown party.

Their face briefly wrinkled into a sour expression but moulded into something softer. If I was human, I'd hope my name isn't written in it. "Didn't you hear me? Give it to someone else, don't waste my time." They followed, circling him like a fly whilst whispering. No, loudly exclaiming bitter nothings, which the people passing by didn't seem to notice, directly into Light's ear.

Not noticed even when they shout, is this a set up? Light stopped opposite to a bin, leaving room for the person following him to stand infront of it. A piece of trash. He reached into his breast pocket, producing a pen. Catch. Flicking it toward the figure. Clatter. The pen landed in the bin, phasing through them before doing so. Light, again, was taken aback, his pupils unsteady. I wasn't just seeing things! "What are you?" He didn't turn to them, speaking through the side of his mouth, giving it the occasional sidelong glance.

They folded their arms, standing at an angle from him as they leant against a lamppost. "....That Gods of Death like apples?" Each corner of their lips creased into a knowing smile, flashing rows of perfect white teeth. That question again. Light nodded, responding with "Light, do you know?" They added the other half, nodding in approval. "That Gods of Death like apples? Now I've told you what I am. As for who I am," They curled their finger around their chin as if they were deeply in contemplation. "Betsu." Betsu's posture straightened. "I just wanted to see if you were worth my time. I guess you are. Although, I'd rather you were a woman."

Light walked to aid his digestion of this jarring development and maintain his pretence of coolness. "A God of Death? I'd like to believe you're joking. But what I've seen so far stops me from being so sceptical." He grabbed his face, stroking it for relief. "It's just too difficult to believe. I need undeniable proof."

Betsu revealed a Death Note identical to the one which Light held in his hand. Generously leant to me by my darling, Ryuk. "Give me a second." The book was unfolded, Betsu's hand hastened into a blur, finishing their writing before the sound of scribbling was delivered to Light's ears. Clap. Closed. They stood there with their eyes trained on the passing foot traffic. "Look there, that man." Betsu nodded their head in the direction of an unsuspecting salaryman by a crossing. At the same time, the traffic lights changed colour.

The herd of pedestrians shuffled along. Nothing happened. They crossed without harm coming to them. "Wait for it." Betsu shuffled their feet in anticipation.

Hey, is he, is he coming over here? Light's face bent into a grimace. Stop that. He grabbed his trembling hand with the other. The man arrived, stopping next to Betsu. "At your service, Betsu-sama." Monotone voice, limp expressions. A zombie. They kissed Betsu's hand. 'Everyone whose name is written in this notebook…' Light ran away from the man. Six minutes and forty seconds, I don't know what they specified. After putting some distance between him and the man, an uproar of screams caught up to Light. That man's dead, I'm sure of it! He looked down to the book he held in disbelief. While he palmed his mouth, breathing heavily from the exertion. With this, I might be able to see it. What am I thinking right now!? Betsu emerged from the crowd shortly afterwards.

"Light. Do you believe me now?" Betsu picked up on his distraught look. "Ah, don't worry about that guy. He didn't have long left anyways."

To be able to casually kill someone like that, well I practically asked them to. At least let it have been a criminal. "I-I believe you." His ragged breathing gradually stopped. "I have questions. First, how do you know who I am?"

Betsu's eyes dropped to the ground, indicating their disinterest. "Trade secret. But, I might tell you if you're lucky." Betsu casually fished around in the bin, retrieving the pen Light threw at them. "I will be touched when I wish to be touched, seen when I wish to, heard when I wish. Smell and taste is up for negotiation. So, pose the questions to yourself." Betsu blinked, smirking with self-satisfaction.

Has this Betsu character been watching me? For how lon- No, that's irrelevant. Has it been vetting me for some reason, and to what end? "I see, you've chosen me specifically." I don't have enough information to even think that.

"I can be everywhere. Anywhere. And at the same time, nowhere. I'm beyond your reasoning, yet you try to ruffle me with an ill-thought bluff. Don't be silly, Light. Although, taking on this human form does hamper me. Your feeble minds can't handle the knowledge I possess." The laugh which followed Betsu's verbal domination was hollow yet shook their body. "It can, however, allow me to be entertained."

"Hmph." Amusement tugged at the awestruck Light's lip. "You're unable to be omniscient. But only a fool would say that. Take me luring you to the bin to throw the pen at you. You either knew I'd do it and decided to not react, or you didn't. Either way, it's up in the air whether you're omniscient, but you wanted me to make that mistake." He side-eyed Betsu with a pleased look. "Don't ruffle me with an ill-thought bluff." In trying to fool them, I could fool myself. Sweat discretely trickled from his fingers.

I made the right choice it seems. Betsu patted Light on the back. "That's the spirit, Light! You're getting me all excited over here." Betsu had a perverted look on their face, it was unknown whether a being such as it could feel lust. "But, you're missing one thing. I'm here for fun, and I can't do that if I know everything." They pointed at the Death Note. "Use it as you desire, and refrain from boring me." A cautionary low tone.

I'm being given free license with a tool this powerful? For mere fun at that. "If I took your word for it, I'd equally be a fool, but have your fill." He pored over the pages of the Death Note as he stopped at a pedestrian crossing, waiting for the lights to change. Tremors rippled through his hands. Was he containing himself? "Betsu, I look forward to our relationship." Betsu is clearly a formidable actor, even if they display an emotion it's likely scripted.

Determining whether this notebook functions is no bother after that display. Betsu is enough proof anyhow. "You don't want it back anymore? The Death Note, you were adamant that I give it back or give it to someone else." The reward for passing their test?

"I can't take it back. Not by force that is. It's yours now as it becomes the property of whoever picks it up." Betsu gestured, aimlessly waving their hand about as they spoke. Their attention was elsewhere, they were taking in the grandness of the city. "Man, I haven't been in this country for some time."

I shouldn't be surprised by the incomprehensible age of a god. "Betsu, I assume there's more attached to this notebook than the rules written in it. The rule you introduced just now wasn't included in the notebook." 

"You get top marks, Light. Be honoured," Betsu placed a hand onto their rounded chest. "For you are in receipt of my company." Even curtsying for extra effect. "As long as you're in possession of that notebook, I will be in your care."

Light shook his head up and down absentmindedly, looking at the crowd still clamouring around the man who just dropped dead. This feeling. Light clutched at his chest. This future doesn't seem so bleak anymore. He flipped open the Death Note with one hand. In my hand, the scripture. The world rewritten. Deep breaths finalised his musings. The new world.

"So, Light. What is it you desire?" One of the digital billboards above them had been repurposed into a television, broadcasting the news in perpetuity. The news is never news. It's always the same thing on repeat. Stuck in a cycle, bound to never change. The sun began to set over the horizon, staining the sky with murky scarlet shades.

At that time, his glazed eyes almost appeared to take on the colour of the sky, flickering between deep crimson and muddy brown as the clouds passed by, intermittently obstructing the light. "Betsu, do you know?" Light tilted his head toward Betsu. Relaxed eyebrows, the glistening pink of his lips. Serenity. Written on his face, but not on his tongue. "Gods of Death hate rotten apples." He stretched his hand out expectantly. "My pen." Betsu happily obliged. A streak of light ran across the air, the brilliance of his pen-tip gliding towards the first page of the Death Note.

They were an odd pair. A sleek 'woman' with a preference for black clad in leather trousers, high-heeled Tabi boots, and a sleeveless turtleneck. A high-school student, in a blazer, prim and proper. From the sky, in that crowd, Light and Betsu were dots. Insignificant blips, soon to make insurmountable waves. The smell of exhaust alongside sounds of idle engines faded back in, removing them from the bubble of their own world.