Jane Grey

Chapter 38: Death Doesn't Discriminate

The Thirteen Day Rule. This is what started everything, what made everything go wrong...

The Thirteen Day Rule is the idea that after contact with the Death Note, one must write a name before thirteen days are up otherwise they themselves will die. Initially, I wanted to call this rule bullshit since the existence of me and my family directly contradicts that but that was a family secret more or less and there was no way I could spill that at this moment in time especially when the original Kira is now back to where he was.

We decided to test this, in order to make sure that this was the real deal, however the boys were very very panicked after realising this drawing comparisons between them and Kira. Their morals is what completely ruined their confidence. If they hadn't doubted themselves and drawn themselves to Kira then perhaps my problems wouldn't have happened.

One morning, I was woken up by Gold and Spectre around 4am. I rubbed my eyes, the sun was barely even creeping through my window yet, and saw the silhouette of my brother and shinigami by the door, "You're leaving again, aren't you?" I murmured in a dozed state, pulling my blanket over my chest and sitting up. The pair didn't say a word in response, but I didn't need any "Just stay safe, and come home in one piece okay?" There was a quiet hum of agreement before the door was opened. Gold sauntered over, footsteps lighter than a feather floating from heaven, placing a chaste kiss on my forehead and laying me back to sleep and left me all alone. Come 6am, I woke up properly and dressed myself, throwing on a cardigan to warm myself in the cold weather, and sluggishly walked into the living room.

There in the living room was Rem all by her lonesome watching the world go by outside the window. I crept up beside her and sat on the back on the couch, staring at the masses before me. She spared me a glance, inspecting my face and analysing every part of me most curious to her, "How is it you and that other boy have been able to cut away from the conditions of shinigami sight?" I sighed, shoving my hands in my pockets and shrugged. She twirled a section of my hair in her fingers - a thing that the shinigami's have taken a liking to for me specifically - which made me notice that I needed a dye touch-up since my brown hair was more or less entirely overtaking the black.
"You've done well so far to protect Misa."
"She's my friend, despite what happened I can't help but want to keep her out of this whilst she remains in the dark."

"What would you like in exchange?" Rem proposed. I looked at her, seeing the life between her almost soulless eyes.
"Exchange?"
"If you hadn't already done it, part of me thinks I would've asked you to do this in exchange for something you want."
"I don't need anything,"
"Not even protecting that other man?"
"I've done what I can to ensure his safety. He WILL stay alive if I have anything to do with it, Gramps too."

The others began pouring in, so our conversation had been forcefully cut short in order to further discuss the rules of the death note. All very gauche and boring, nothing unheard of and a lot of it was small arguments as to whoever would test the rule and who would actually be on the receiving end if we were to follow through with it. In my head it just didn't make sense, Light and I went through all of this trouble in order to ensure that this power would not land back into his hands and yet here we are with it in our hands again. Similarly it was intended to prevent others after Higuchi gaining them, so where on earth is the other note and who has it? If I had trust in my abilities, part of me thinks that Ryuk would return to me with both notes in his possession and simply stick around to annoy me until his job is done and yet the shinigami was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

"What do you think, Grey?" I was pulled out of my thoughts.
"Hm? What?"
"Do you think this is the right idea?" It was L saying that, so blindly I placed fate into his hands and complied with his plans.

It was thirteen painstaking days, not knowing what would happen to anyone nor knowing what was supposed to happen. So, on day 9 of waiting, my body exploded with what would bring about another axe to my neck. It's no secret that I am a big bundle of emotions, a powder keg waiting to explode, so when I was cleaning up L's desk for once and came across a sheet of paper detailing something akin to a will you can imagine the amount of pure anger and fear and sadness that enveloped me. L was in the kitchen with Watari, so I stalked in there in spite of the fact that there were other people nearby and slapped him as hard as I could.

"Jane! What on earth-" Watari attempted to scold before I interrupted.
"You fucking idiot!" The silence around me was damning, "How in the fuck could you start preparing for a death that isn't going to happen?! And why would you ever believe that you would leave me in favour of Light being your successor?" I screeched. Everyone around us grew more and more awkward, the adrenaline overwhelming my body making me shake like a wave of tears about to breach. L cradled his face where I had slapped it, Soichiro and Mogi grabbed all the potentially sharp items within my reach (even though I'd never do that to him)..

"After all I've done to make sure you and Gramps stay alive, you have the fucking audacity to reject it?"
"Death is inevitable Jane, we have to be prepared." Watari tried to reason with me, but I was too enriched in rage to even comprehend this. Like a child, though, I had no proper outlet to rage outside of bottling it up or resorting to petty violence. So I just stood there, looking at the ground, nails digging into my palms, heaving and shaking trying so hard to hold back tears. Not even a week though, not a week had passed before my life went from blind rage to unmoving depression.

I loved my brothers, I loved Gramps. So if I find whomever ordered this to happen outside of Light, I will hunt them and I WILL absolutely break them. And that is a royal promise by edict of Queen Jane Grey.