Chapter 5: Eyeballs

Manga Summaries >> Chapter 5: Eyeballs

The summary of Chapter five, written by the talented Julie.

Basic Information

1. Chapter: 5 (Eyeballs)
2. Characters: Raito, Ryuuk, L
3. New Characters: none yet
4. Known # of Deaths: 0

Summary
L is in front of his computer. The cloaked figure of Watari appears on the screen and they talk. It seems that the FBI has already begun an investigation on the detectives working on the Kira case, they are 140 people total. L assumes that Kira must be related to one of them and on his hands is Souchirou’s file, beneath his name and picture are his family, their occupation and birth dates. The cover for this chapter is a reflection of someone’s eye with Raito in it.

Raito is at his last period in school with Ryuuk, looking very bored, next to him, staring at a window. They both leave and Raito begins his way back home when Ryuuk announces he has something to say. Raito protests, people notice the change of tone in his voice when he talks to someone else but Ryuuk insists. “I do not hate you, sometimes I even feel you are the perfect owner for the Death Note and I must stay with you until you die or the Death Note is completed, but I am not on your side or L’s.” There is a moment of silence while Raito stares at the Shinigami and says “I knew that.”

It doesn’t matter to Ryuuk whether Raito is doing the right or bad thing, but there is something he felt like he should tell: During the last couple of days, Raito is being followed by a man. Raito’s eyes widen in surprise but he quickly closes them and continues to walk.

He tells Ryuuk he will try to lose the guy as soon as possible. He says that there is no danger since the man has only seen him as a regular student. Returning home, he opens the door in the room. He thinks that L must be already keeping watch on the police detectives and his father, and wonders who he has employed to investigate them.

First, Raito concludes, he needs the name of the person who is following him but he has yet to find a way to ask without looking like a suspect. “There are two differences between a human and a Shinigami.” Ryuuk, who had been staring at him this whole time, suddenly says “Do you know why a Shinigami has to use a death note?” Raito doesn’t know, he smiles and comments that Ryuuk is very talkative today.

“It is because the Shinigami can use the human’s life. If you put a sixty year old under a fourty year old on the Death Note then twenty years of difference between them are added to the life of the Shinigami. As long as they don’t get lazy, a Shinigami can never die, no matter if he is shot or stabbed. They are very similar to gods. However, I’ve seen Shinigami die for being to lazy to write any new names after hundreds of years. I am not sure of this, but I’ve heard it is possible to kill a Shinigami.” Ryuuk explains that Shinigami do not have the same emotions and desires as humans, they do not believe in “making the human world a better place” they can’t even hate a particular human. For a Shinigami, the human world doesn’t matter anymore they only care about their own lives while their own world rots.

Raito thinks this is silly. He cannot imagine how the Shinigami who live for hundreds and hundreds of years can not use what they see on the human world to improve their own. “You are a very optimistic person.” Ryuuk replies. Raito laughs “Of couse I am, or I would never think I can improve my own world.”

The Shinigami’s lesson is not over yet. There is still one more difference left between his race and humans. The Shinigami can simply look at the human world and choose a human’s name to write on the Death Note. It is usually a name chosen by random, because of all the people in the world, but only by looking at their faces a Shinigami can know their real names and ages. At this point, Ryuuk gets really close to Raito’s face and his strange piercing eyes reflect Raito’s own face. (remember the cover?) Raito is surprised. “The true difference is in our eyes…” Ryuuk explains but there is still more to come.

A Shinigami can trade his eyes with the human who touched the Death Note in exchange for half this person’s life and Ryuuk knows exactly how long Raito has to live though Shinigami rules forbid him to say. To Shinigami it doesn’t matter if they loose half their lives or not because they can always extend their life spam but to a human it is a dear price to pay. Raito’s eyes have a strange glint to them. Just half his life, for the names of anyone who opposes him.

Unanswered Questions
So what’s next…

1. Will Raito give up half his life for a shinigami’s eyes?