Hello there. So I've been wanting to do his for a while, and decided to write it now.

I'm currently writing another fic alongside this one so updating might be a bit sporadic, since the other one *cough* 'The Cursed Tongue* (lit o bit of advertising there ^_^) takes priority.

This fic is mainly for my own entertainment. So enjoy! ^_^

I stared, open mouthed and awed.

I was actually here, I was actually in Japan!

A grin spread across my face, growing and growing until my lips began to ache. I had the sudden urge to jump up and down and scream at the top of my lungs;

"HELLLLO JAPAN, THIS IS RUE DANIELS REPORTING FOR DUTY!"

But I didn't. I wanted to get through my first day with some dignity intact after all. I knew at some point I would screw up and embarrass myself, but if I could just make it through the first day, I would be happy. Then I could look myself in the mirror back home and be proud, because for me, that is an epic achievement.

I turned to Rae, my best mate. She's beautiful, and I'm not being biased when I say that. Okay, maybe I am a little. But Rae really iscute. She has long, wavy hair the colour of honey, and dark, coco brown eyes. She has tanned skin and a trim figure, but isn't a twig either. She has curves, in all the right places. Rae is a tribute to long summer days, sipping lemonade while watching bumblebees bob about in the warm breeze. In my mind at least, but that's probably just my inner poet taking over again.

"You know where we bloody are, right?" Rae whispered.

I nodded vigorously, not bothering to hide my excitement. I must look like a hyper active puppy. Hmmmm, maybe a Scotty dog.

"Of course I do, we're in Tokyo. TO-K-YO!" I exclaimed.

Rae stepped forward, grasping my arm and looking around as though she couldn't quite believe what her eyes were seeing.

"More than that, we've in the Kanto region of Tokyo. Know what that means? It means Death Note Stripes!"

Ah, now I should probably explain two things here. The first being mine and Rae's joint obsession with anime and manga, we're otakus and proud! Now Rae is currently obsessed with 'Death Note' while I'm obsessed with 'Bleach' (what right minded otaku isn't?) and so you can probably understand her excitement.

Now the second thing I should explain is Rae's use of my nickname.

Stripes.

And why, you might ask have I been labelled with this name? Simple, I have a fetish for stripy tights and socks. They're the only thing I'll wear, even to bed. I know, it sounds a bit insane, (my mum wants me to see a psychologist about it) but I can't help it. At the tender age of six I was hooked on them, and have been ever since. Blame my grandma, she gave them to me as a birthday present.

I rolled my eyes at Rae, shaking my head. "You're hopeless." I sighed.

Rae narrowed her eyes, poking me in the stomach. "Coming from you, have you brought your Ichigo plushie by the way?"

I gripped the straps of my backpack tighter, suddenly aware of its soft, orange haired contents. "… No."

She smirked. "Liar, I saw you pack it back home Stripes, and besides you can't sleep without a stuffed toy, you said so yourself, remember?"

I chuckled, slinking my arm through hers. "Okay, okay you win." I relented.

"Hey! You two, the coach is here!" called Rae's dad, Paul.

I glanced over in his direction. He was stood beside a mountainous pile of luggage, bags upon bags of it. The other members of the badminton team were scattered around the car park, staring at the scenery or chatting to each other.

That's the reason we're here, to compete in a badminton tournament. Paul is the teams' coach, and also the reason Rae and I became friends.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

I, a rosy cheeked seven year old, and Rae, a fiery tom boy, both gripping a badminton racket in our stubby fingered hands, glaring at each other through a net.

We bonded straight away.

Trust me, trying to kick your friend's ass using a shuttlecock does wonders for your relationship.

Of course I lost in the end. It was my first time playing and well… I'm a bit of a klutz. I swung my racket to hit the shuttlecock and ended up tangled in the net. Don't ask how, because truthfully I don't have a clue.

I tugged on Rae's sleeve. "Come on, you can admire the scenery later."

She moaned in protest, looking at me with pleading eyes. "Just five more minuets, please?"

I gave her a look, and then started walking toward the coach. Japanese characters covered its exterior, reminding me to never loose the life line in my bag. An English to Japanese dictionary.

"Fine, take all the time you want, but I'm leaving. And don't worry, I'll keep fond memories of you alive when some thug kidnaps you." I said.

"Stripes! … No fair!"

She caught up with me, frowning. I laughed at her expression, and it wasn't long before she joined me.

Rachel and Rue. Stripes and Rae. The team of two rag tag girls with a tendency to get a little bit competitive. Okay, maybe very competitive.

"Do you think we'll win tomorrow?" I asked.

Rae turned to me with a grin. "Hell yeah! Azabu High School here we come!"

No.

NO, NO, NO, NO!

This could not be happening. This had to be a dream. A-bad-omelette- for-breakfast induced dream! I tore through the contents of my suitcase again, hurling t-shirts and tights onto the floor in a hurricane. I dug and dug, searching desperately. I found nothing.

I collapsed onto the floor in despair, banging my head against the carpet.

"Hey Stripes can I borrow some… whoa, did a storm whirl through here?" Rae asked, appearing from the bathroom.

I peeked at her through my hair, blowing at my dark fringe. "Rae I have a slight… problem."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, what kind of problem?"

I sat up, crossing my legs. I fiddled with the edge of my top, refusing to meet Rae's gaze. "I… um…"

Rae moved forward, grinning widely. "Sorry didn't quite catch that, could you repeat it please?" she asked loudly, cupping her hands around her mouth.

I glared at her. "I forgot my UNDERWEAR okay, I bloody forgot it. You Happy now?"

She fell back onto her side, laughing with tears in her eyes. "You" snort. "IDIOT!"

My face burned. I must look like big, red tomato topped with dark hair. "It's not that funny." I mumbled.

I waited for her to calm down, which took an obnoxiously long time to happen. Finally (although she was still chuckling under her breath) Rae looked at me, trying and failing to keep her face straight.

"You can borrow some of mine. Though I don't have pink bunny patterned ones like you do."

I grabbed my pillow from the bed and lobbed it at her, unleashing my inner ninja. That's right, you heard me. I have secret, mad ninja skills, and I totally rock.

Laughing, Rae tossed the pillow to the side. She stood, a good 5 foot, 4 inches over me. She wore a light, flowery skirt with white leggings and pumps. Her tee-shirt was a rosy pink colour, and adorning that was a denim jacket.

That's the thing about Rae; she looks like the typical girly teen, when in actual fact she's athletic and a bit of a tom boy at times. Not to mention she's strong, really strong. But it isn't that surprising when you consider the fact that she's been taking judo classes ever since she was five, and kicked every boy's ass she's ever fought against. Yeah she's strong alright, scarily strong.

"Come on, dad… sorry 'coach' said we could explore for a bit, as long as we don't go too far. So… let's go find what we've forever hunted for back home."

I grinned, also standing. "A real life manga shop?"

She nodded, and I felt my body explode with excitement. The embarrassment of actually forgetting to pack underwear, melted away into the back of my head, replaced with thoughts of shopping in Tokyo. It was bound to be packed full with manga, anime, those cute clothes Japanese girls wear, and… the Lolita fashion! I've always wanted to try one of those dresses on.

I smiled, more to myself than to Rae. "I hope they have tights too."

"There!" I said, pointing to a small corner shop.

The Japanese characters above the door were bold and bright, almost dancing across the shop entrance. It wasn't the most inviting shop around, but there was something about it that drew me in. Something strange, something… exciting.

The windows were crammed with manga and cosplay items, I even spotted several Bleach posters. It was worth nosing around in for that reason alone.

Rae studied the shop. "It's as good a place to start as any I suppose." She said.

We made our way over to the shop, blending in with the endless stream of people. I feel ten feet tall in this crowd of Japanese citizens. I'm tall for my age at five foot, seven inches back home, so here I'm almost giant like. A tall, clumsy giant, who only wears tights and doesn't have any underwear. Life is good, ain't it?

We entered the shop, with a tinkling bell to welcome us. It sounded cheery, and pleased to have some customers.

I looked around in amazement. The shop was longer than its outward appearance suggested, and more organised than what it's cluttered window suggested. All along the left hand wall were shelves and shelves of manga, gleaming with freshly printed covers in the daylight. The right hand wall was separated into two parts. The first part was where the till was stationed, and the second was a cosy area to read. And finally, the wall at the far end of the shop was dedicated to manga merchandise and cosplay.

Both Rae and I stared open mouthed. It was otaku heaven.

"Rae, have I died and gone to heaven?" I whispered.

She gripped my arm, tight. "If we bloody are dead then I'll be seriously pissed, because this is amazing!"

We looked at each other. And then took off running, wildly going over every nook and cranny we could find. I was quite happy to die right then, I swear. Light Yagami could appear and write my name in the death note, or hallow Ichigo could come in swinging his bankai and I wouldn't care. And from Rae's squeals of delight I doubt she would care either.

And so you could probably imagine it, when I explain how I didn't notice the man creeping up behind me. And you could also imagine my surprise at turning around to find a face bent low to mine.

"Kon'nichiwa."

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, jumping back in surprise.

Unfortunately my mad dash backwards ended in disaster. My arms shot out wildly, knocking mangas from their place on the shelves. They fell like dominos, clattering onto the floor one after the other. Shiny covers shone with plastic as they fell from their place. I tripped over my own feet, falling with a thud onto my backside. The man simply looked from me to the disaster I had created.

Did I mention I was a klutz?

"Stripes! What's wrong?"

Rae appeared from the cosplay section, sporting a lovely pair of neko ears. She stopped, took in the situation, and then sighed.

"I can't take you anywhere, can I?"

The man extended a hand toward me. "I did not mean to scare you miss, please accept my apology." He said.

He had an accent but his English was good, very good. I took his hand, flinching as the pain in my butt increased. "It's alright, I overreacted anyway."

I stood, wobbled slightly and then relaxed. Until I got a better look at the mess I had made. I couldn't even see the floor anymore, it was covered by a sea of manga.

"I'm so sorry, I'll clean it up right away!" I exclaimed, falling onto all fours.

I began piling the manga as fast as was humanly possible, my cheeks burning from embarrassment. I heard Rae sigh as she bent down to help me, I flashed her a smile.

"You bloody owe me Stripes." She muttered.

After a moment the man also bent down, smiling to himself. This time I got a better look at him, since thoughts of 'ghosts' and 'evil attackers' weren't racing through my head. He was tall and broad shouldered, and had very large hands for a Japanese person, which led me to believe he had some other blood in him along the lines. He had a messy mop of dark hair, and sharp grey eyes. He looked normal enough.

"So, may I inquire as to what you were searching for?" he asked.

"We were just mooching around really, this is the first shop we've been in since we arrived in Tokyo." I replied.

He nodded sagely, reminding me of one those ancient tortoises in cartoon sketches. "Then I am honoured." He murmured.

He glanced at Rae. "Have you taking a liking to those?" he asked, motioning to her 'headwear' with his chin.

Rae turned an entertaining shade of scarlet and laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Ha ha, sorry, I'll put them back in a second."

The man shook his head. "Feel free to remain wearing them when in my shop, it is when you try to leave with them we come to a problem."

I laughed, really laughed. It wasn't polite laughter, the kind were you chuckle because your expected to, it was honest laughter.

"They suit you Rae!" I chuckled.

The man stood, shuffled over to the far wall, and then returned carrying two more pairs.

"Perhaps we should all adorn some." He suggested.

I nodded, pulling mine on behind my ears. He did the same, and I have to say he looked hilarious. He was straight faced and very serious, and yet on top of his head were two cat ears. I looked at Rae, she looked at me. We both collapsed into giggles. He smiled at our reaction.

"I am Kyo Misora, it's a pleasure to meet you." He announced.

Rae shuffled over to me, wrapping her arm around my neck. "I'm Rae, and this is Stripes." She said.

Kyo's eyebrow twitched. "What interesting names." He murmured.

And that was the start of a long, entertaining hour. We talked and talked as we cleared up my mess, mostly about manga and anime. In that short period of time he learned of Rae's obsession with Death Note, and my obsession with Bleach. He nodded in approval of our choices. Kyo then went on to recommend every anime and manga he had enjoyed. It was a long list.

Then, after we had cleared up, we retired to the reading area. Rae and I got comfortable on the old, battered couches while Kyo brought out a tea set from behind the till. I was afraid to even touch my teacup, it looked so delicate and… breakable.

"But, was it not a fitting ending when Near defeated Kira?" Kyo asked, sipping is tea.

He had adopted a sitting position akin to L's, just like Rae and I were doing. It seemed appropriate as we were discussing Death Note. Well, I say we, when it's actually more Rae ranting and Kyo answering her. I was too busy focused on not dropping my teacup.

"Of course not! Don't get me wrong I like Near's character and all, but come on! L dies, that isn't justice at all!" Rae huffed.

Kyo stared down at his tea, deep in thought. "And what about you, Stripes-san? What do you think?"

I blinked. "Oh, well…" I thought for a moment. "I agree with Rae, I don't think there was any justice in L's death. To be truthful I prefer the live action movies, because at least then L dies for a reason. But I also understand where you're coming from Kyo-san, realistically L had to die."

I sipped my tea gingerly. "Still, it would have been interesting to see how the story would have progressed if L survived."

A smile curved Kyo's lips. "I think I agree with you Stripes-san." He murmured.

He shot out of his seat suddenly, disappearing around the till. He bent down, out of my view and began rummaging for something. I looked at Rae, she shrugged. He next appeared with a cardboard box in his hands, with dust smudged around his face.

"I have something you may be interested in." he said, plopping down onto the couch once more.

He opened the box, to reveal a treasure trove of trinkets. All related to Death Note. Rae was off like a bullet, at Kyo's side in an instant. I placed my cup carefully onto the table, and then followed suit.

Kyo dug inside the box, and then pulled out two items. The first item was the classic L necklace. Except this one was a little bit different. The letter L, was silver, real silver, and inexplicably breathe taking. The design was so simple, and yet so beautiful. Every detail was carved to perfection, every angle was sharp and straight, every curve smooth and polished. I think I stopped breathing at one point.

The next item was an apple necklace. Again, real silver. Now this shape was bold and expressive. It was rounded perfectly and flawless. And then, at the centre of the apple, there was just a touch of colour. A touch of red. But it was enough to convey the message. The blood, the passion, the fire the colour resembled. The necklace was scarily beautiful.

"I found these at a convention three years ago, would you care to try them on?" Kyo asked.

I looked up at him, sucking in a breath. "A… are you sure that's okay?" I stammered.

Kyo nodded. "Of course."

Rae was grinning widely. She looked at me and winked. "I'll take the apple, I always loved Ryuk. He made things so interesting." She mimicked.

Hesitantly I took the necklace from Kyo's fingers, holding it as though it were china. This was even scarier then the teacup. I moved my pigtails out of the way, and looped the silver chain around my neck. It felt cold against my skin, but not unpleasantly so. It was the kind of cold one welcomed after a long, sweaty day.

Rae did the same. It hung just above her chest, glinting with red light.

"It suits you." I said.

Rae smiled. "So does yours."

I gazed down at the L, unconsciously rubbing my ankles together.

"So… you two have taking a liking to them I presume?" Kyo asked.

He looked different, more animated. It was as though he were waiting for something, like a kid does before Christmas. You know, how they try to act all calm and patient,

when really their going crazy on the inside. Well, that's how Kyo looked. Only a little creepier.

Rae nodded, never taking her eyes off the pendent in her hand. "Oh yeah, I'd bloody make a dash for it if you weren't so nice!" she exclaimed.

"Same here!" I added.

Kyo smiled, hugging his knees a little closer to his chest. "I am glad, you will be wearing them for quite some time."

We both looked up in confusion. "What?" we asked in unison.

Kyo stood, taking several steps back. "I have been meaning to conduct an experiment like this for a while, but seeing as I don't get many customers and have been working on a new manga lately I never got around to it."

He smiled. "Until you two turned up that is, you presented me with the perfect opportunity."

Rae glanced at me, swirling her left finger at her head.

"Er Kyo-kun are you okay, has the heat got to you or something…?" she asked.

Kyo laughed, his shoulders shaking with deep vibrations. "No, I am quite sane thank you. Oh and please, call me Ohba."

I blinked. "… Ohba?"

He nodded. "Tsugumi Ohba."

Rae's eyes bulged so much I thought they would pop from her head. I was still trying to process everything. Tsugumi Ohba… where had I heard that name before?

OH!

Death Note! The author of Death Note! The mysterious author who collects teacups and sits like L! The same author who nobody knows his true identity. That Tsugumi Ohba! No wonder Rae looked gob smacked, this was practically her hero!

I looked at my recently acquired friend with new clarity. He looked so normal, and yet… he wasn't. Surely an author who could come up with a plot involving a notebook that can kill people couldn't be normal, could he?

"Now, I would love to answer all of the questions you must surely have, but time is running out. So I am afraid they will have to wait for a while." Ky-, sorry Ohba said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Rae was still awe struck. I doubt a missile whizzing through the window right now would snap her out of it.

Ohba gestured to my feet with his chin, sliding his hands into his pocket. "See for yourself."

I looked down at my feet with a growing sense of foreboding, and gasped. They were disintegrating!

I repeat they were DISINTEGRATING!

My white and purple baseball shoes were disappearing into the air, floating like sand on the breeze. But it wasn't just my feet. I glance down at my hands and choked on a scream. The tips of my fingers were slowly slipping from existence, snaking down my palms and wrists.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!" Rae screamed.

The same was happening to her. I would have screamed too, but my throat was dry with fear, so all that came out was a strangled cry. Ohba remained stood with his hands in his pockets, calmly observing the situation.

"Do not worry, the transaction is painless and fairly quick." He said.

I didn't even register the sound of his voice. I was too busy freaking out. You can call me a wimp but I doubt your body has ever disappeared like this, so shove it.

"Oh my god, this can't be happening, can't be happening…" Rae whimpered.

The last thing I remember is Ohba pulling out an old fashioned stop watch and flipping it open.

"Use your time wisely, you only have a limited amount of it."

Then everything went blank.

"Stripes, Stripes! Wake up!"

I groaned, and opened my eyes. I stopped breathing. We were in an alleyway, far from the manga shop in a part of Tokyo I had never seen before.

Oh and everything was anime style.

Wait WHAT!

Stripes was inspired by a pair of rather fetching stripy socks I bought a while back. I fell in love with them and thought;

'huh, what if there was a character who was clumsy, forgetful and only wore stripy tights?"

And so she was born.

Thanks for reading! ^_^