UPDATE!: This story was forgotten before posting the final chapter I had written which had the "ending" (which I had meant to post and thought I had, hence my ending the story). But. There is good news and bad news.

Good news: Now a real ending has been written. The "not so final" chapter will still be posted as it was rather a cliffhanger ending anyways and the new last chapter is the proper ending. The new chapter will be up after it's reviewed :)

Bad news: The previously written chapters (aside from the 2nd last which did get a bit of editing) will not be edited. I have another story that is more current that is getting ignored as is. This was also written back when I was quite a bit younger and my views and style has changed since so it would not be the same. Sorry. (this may change, my muse is a finicky thing -.-).

This story is complete but I will only tag it so when I upload the last chapter.

Hello, this is Sassykatt. I know what you're thinking "urgh, not another OC story where the characters fall instantly in love and they live happily every after." If that's what you want, you wont find it here, amazingly. Usually my stories are full of such things, but I also hadn't written anything for a while. I was surprised that everyone thought this turned out so well (that everyone being my boyfriend who is also a writer and my ..erm editor shall I say? And some people on Deviant Art (where this is posted as well). This story was originally going to be a set of drabbles, but it was suggested to me that it become a story. I like it much better this way. Anyways.

I don't own Deathnote. I wish I did. But I own this plot, the girl, and the other random peoples in the story. Enough babbling, from me. Just read, and have a nice day.

Prologue: Real or Not?

Walking along the near empty sidewalks - a light drizzle falling on this cold November day - Mello trudged along, a heavy, hooded jacket covering his usual leathery attire. He attempted to keep his hands warm in his pockets - though even with gloves it didn't seem to fend off the chill. At the moment, he was out for a walk, just wanting to get out of the hideout for the time being. Due to the weather, all of the gang was there, restless and bored. He decided to take a chance to escape the thick atmosphere, only to find an almost worse one outside.

The sounds of a guitar being played pulled him from his thoughts and mindless walking. Gazing up, he saw a girl, about his age, busking. 'How is she not frozen wearing only that light sweater' he thought as he looked at her, walking closer. She played a slow song, but didn't sing or dance. With her back against the wall behind her, she simply played, her head down. Mello couldn't tell if her eyes were open or not, her reddish bangs covering nearly all her face.

Now fully infront of her, Mello paused, turning slightly towards her as the song continued on. A tin can with a few coins in it sat infront of her. Sighing, he dug in his pockets. Just then, two uniformed officers approached the scene. At first Mello thought they were here for him. But, one tapped the girl's guitar with his nightstick, saying "ok girl, time to get lost, you're loitering."

Calmly, she finished off her song, then slung the guitar on her back. The other officer reached down and grabbed her can of money, "we'll confiscate this, since it was made while perfo-" "that's bullcrap and you know it!" Mello interrupted, growling. The girl wasn't doing anything wrong, likely just trying to earn a living, and yet they treated her like a petty criminal.

The officers glared at Mello, knowing they we're caught red-handed. "This time we'll let you off with a warning, next time we see you out here we'll be taking you in and charging you" grumbled the officer, shoving the can roughly into the girl's hands. Coins clattered to the ground as the officers walked away. Mello stood, glaring at their disappearing backs. Bending down, he scooped up the coins and put them back into the can. Standing up to hand the girl the can, he found that she had disappeared. Looking around, he was confused, "why'd she leave?" He walked in the direction he originally came from, peering down the alleyways and streets. She was gone, nothing but the can of coins as proof of her existence.