Authors Note: This is my first fanfiction. I hope to update regularly after the first few chapters. Please no flames, but constructive criticism is encouraged. I really hope that you enjoy reading this story. I would also like to thank Bar-Ohki for the help beta-reading the first chapter as well as the phone conversations.
Disclaimer: I will only say this once; I do not own Death Note or its characters.
Rating: T for swearing, death, and future adult situations.
Summary: On what should have been an innocent walk home, Corrie literally walks into the world of Death Note.
Pairings: Classic plotline one-sided Light/Misa and possible undecided future pairings
Warnings: Death, swearing, and future adult situations.
A Little Bit Lost
Chapter 1: Colorful Panic
December 9th
Pushing the door open I made a beeline up the stairs and straight to a free couch in the lounge. Shedding my backpack and jacket I sat down heavily on the comfortable piece of furniture with a relieved sigh and thought, 'Thank God that's over!'
I let my head fall back and rested my eyes for a bit thinking back over the last couple of hours. It was just the beginning of finals week at college and I was already feeling drained. I had just come out of a Statistics final that was scheduled far earlier in the day than it had any business being, not to mention the class on whole had forced too much information too fast into my brain. So I felt justified in feeling moderate exhaustion. The slight drizzle outside had not done much for my mood either. I liked the rain just fine, you got that way living in Oregon, but today it just irked my already stressed mind.
Sitting up into a more comfortable lounging position, I briefly removed my glasses to clean the light mist from the lenses on my sweater's sleeve. Then after a brief pause, I pulled my blue SwissGear backpack a bit closer on the couch beside me. Noting that I had left my jacket to dry over the back of the couch, I searched my bag. The baggy red and black jacket was one of my favorites.
'Studying is on hold for now,' my hand rummaging through my bag. 'So on to mindless pleasure reading,' I finally grabbed my preferred reading material for the moment. Unwinding my purple and blue knit scarf from my neck I simultaneously removed the manga from my bag. I ran one hand through my medium length chocolate brown hair and opened Death Note Vol. 12 and begun to read. I had just about finished the series again for the ninth time and was planning to watch the entire anime series for the fifth time once finals had finished and I was back home for winter break. This was made easier by the fact that I had downloaded the entire series, English dubbed and subbed, onto my laptop the previous weekend. One of my hands absentmindedly ran over a jade charm at my hip once before turning the page and I became lost in the story.
The plot was engrossing, but had lacked something since L's death. Near and Mello just didn't measure up to the great detective. Add that to the fact that Light had grown more and more creepy as the story continued, and it was understandable that I found this arc of the story a bit disappointing.
Looking to my purple waterproof watch at my wrist, I decided that it was time for some lunch. Pushing the manga alongside its partner, volume 13, I put in headphone ear-buds and turned on my MP3 player to the Death Note playlist that I had compiled. I got up and gathered up my bag and jacket before heading out the doors. It would take me five minute to reach the nearest dining center. I was in the mood for some rice and something sweet.
I ordered some plain white rice, a chocolate chip cookie, and a small milk carton from one vendor and some strawberries with cream from another, each time handing over my ID card to be charged. Looking at it you would see a small picture of a brown eyed, light skinned girl with chocolate brown medium length hair and glasses that had sharper features of European decent. The name "Corin Sutilja" along with an ID number completed the card's appearance.
Sitting at a secluded table, I finished my lunch quickly. I wanted to get something special for later tonight as a reward for studying, so I bought some chocolate truffles from another vendor in the dining hall and headed out. I was walking toward a specialty Japanese store a few minutes away from campus. Upon arriving, I picked out a pack of regular chocolate pocky and another pack of strawberry dessert pocky that I knew my roommate would appreciate.
Marilyn Smith and I were roommates of a reasonably priced two bedroom apartment in a good section of Albany. We were both 20 years old…well, not anymore since this morning she had turned 21. Also, we both were in the Mechanical Engineering majors. Where I was skinny, almost flat chested and androgynous looking, she was more defined with long dirty blond hair and blue eyes. She was also fun to talk to and I liked giving her small treats.
Paying for the candy, I walked out of the store towards campus to study before meeting up with Marilyn to drive back to Albany. In the few minutes that I had been in the store the rain had picked up and it was very nearly pouring cats and dogs as I quickly walked toward my destination. I knew that my blue and white sneakers would not protect my socks for long and my comfortable dark wash jeans were already soaked up to my calves. Thankfully my jacket was protecting my nice blue sweater from the rain.
I turned up my MP3 at hearing the playlist come to L's Theme song, wanting to drown in my thoughts and forget the stresses of the day. As the song played, I was drawn deep inside my mind so that I was walking on autopilot, not really paying attention to anything other than the beat in my ears.
White spots started to dot my vision and I hardly noticed. The colors of the world swirled and rearranged themselves while I continued to walk forward. I was brought out of my musings by a dull pinching right above my right leg on my hip. The song ended and I stopped as I was brought fully awake. I glanced downward at the spot, bringing my left hand to massage the ach away. My eyes strayed to my shoes and I froze in confusion.
'Grass? I was sure that I was walking on the sidewalk….' I thought in confusion. Slowly bringing my eyes up I noticed that the grass was covered in dew, I was standing in low light, and it was not raining anymore. Looking around I realized that I was alone in a park. Putting my MP3 away I took in my surroundings.
'Swings, benches, a play structure, and a gazebo. Definitely a park. But were exactly am I?' I glanced around again. 'Ok, I seem to be lost somehow, although I don't remember how I got lost in the first place. I know my way around campus pretty well after two years.' Taking inventory of the park once again and noting that there were no distinguishing markers for a location, I sighed. Pulling out my cell phone I called Marilyn.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Rin…
"Hello?" Marilyn answered.
"Hey, Lyn, do you have a minute?" I inquired.
"One moment I have to go outside to get reception," she responded. In the background I heard typical frantic stumbling and the sound of doors slamming. "Ok, ok, I'm outside. What is it?"
"I think I'm lost and in some random park. Could you tell me how to get somewhere?" I asked.
"What does the park look like?" Lyn inquired curiously. "There are three parks in Albany. That is not helpful."
"Uh, there is a swing, some benches, and a play structure." I answered glancing at each entity in turn.
"Is there a large tan building somewhere nearby?" Lyn asked.
Looking around I had spotted something similar to her description, "yeah, if you want to call it that."
"Ok, you are probably at Porter Park." Lyn reasoned.
"Ok, how do I get back to campus?" I wondered.
"There should be a little sidewalk trail out of the park. Follow that to the street, then take a left and you will hit Kings Boulevard and go left until you get to a neighborhood you know." Lyn directed.
"Ok, I'll call you when I get somewhere recognizable," I told her, reassured that I was not far gone.
"Ok, I'll stay outside for a couple of minutes then," Lyn responded.
"Ok, bye," I said, ending the call.
Trusting in the vague directions that I now possessed, I spotted a trail and headed out of the park. I was a bit weirded out that I didn't even remember how I got to the park, let alone waking through it. As I spotted the exit to the park and a street, I felt uneasy. The spot on my hip was heating up and throbbing slightly, but I ignored it in favor of leaving uncertainty behind. As I reached the exit I halted.
My eyes widened and took in everything around me at once. Nothing looked remotely like Albany or even that it would belong in Albany. There was a street in front of me with tall buildings on the other side of it and beyond. There was an occasional car driving down the road, but no people were walking on the sidewalks.
'Where am I? I am pretty sure that this is not Albany. But there is no way that I could be anywhere else, so….' Panic rising slightly, I reached for my phone again.
Ring. Ring. Ri…
"This one goes out to the one I-Heya!" Lyn answered, singing along to her ringer.
"Lyn, I don't recognize anything," I responded, my voice half panicked and squeaking slightly.
"Um…. Hm. What are you looking at?" Lyn asked after a moment of thought.
"Uh…there's a really thin road, I think, and lots of tall buildings," I spoke as I looked around yet again.
"Tall buildings? Like Skyscrapers?" Lyn curiously questioned.
"In the background yes…but-" I answered wary of her response.
"Wait, wait, wait…skyscrapers? You actually see skyscrapers?!" Lyn interrupted incredulously.
"Yeah…" I responded, by then my voice was threatening to whine.
"You're not in Albany," Lyn deadpanned back to me.
"I figured that much. Do you know where I am?" I already knew the answer, but maybe Lyn would be able to figure out where I was anyway.
"Um…is there, like, any signs, writing on the buildings anywhere? Surely there is a street sign around there somewhere," Lyn questioned, seeming to fight off her own share of panic.
"Not where I'm standing. Should I go look for one?" I was a bit wary of leaving my current location.
"Uh, yeah…" Lyn instructed.
"Ok, I'll call you back in a minute," I assured, hoping to find something helpful.
"Ok…" Lyn responded. As I went to hang up my cell phone I heard a soft "holy shit" from her end.
I stilled for a minute then resolved myself and walked to my left and down the street with cautious haste. 'Ok, just find some sort of landmark, call Lyn, and get the hell out of here.' I reminded myself. My wide eyes darted around for any sort of recognition in the form of the street.
About two minutes later I happened upon an electronic shop of sorts. I had not yet run into anyone walking around and was still searching for a landmark of some sort. I stopped to listen to a working television in the shop window. It was spouting a language that I vaguely recognized the sounds of but couldn't remember the exact speech. But in all things, the news channel was universal.
I watched for a minute, trying to understand what was going on in the report and in my crazy situation. I was about to turn and walk away when I recognized a singular word from the report, one that I never would have thought to hear in a news report. I recognized the heavily accented name of "Kira".
My breath caught in my throat and I slowly turned my head back to the television in disbelief and shock.
'Kira? As in Death Note Kira? But how would that be possible? No! There is just no way….' This was the only connection that my mind would allow with panic in my system. I continued to stare at the screen in uncomprehending shock. With a jolt, I came to my senses and started jogging in the direction I had yet to go.
'I have to find a landmark! Lyn's instructions repeated again and again in my mind until I reached a busy square. Upon registering the sight, my internal panic meter shot to 10/10. I stood stock still in complete shock.
'No, there is definitely no place in Albany that looks like this. I don't even know of any place in Oregon that looks like this!'I tried to rationalize. The streets were bustling with cars and people. But everything was foreign. The signs, I faintly registered, were Eastern or Asian. And the people were all speaking a foreign language.
'Not America!' If I had been paying attention, I may have noted that the spot on my hip had started pulsing with a sharp pain. But faced with what was in front of my, the pain was ignored. I backed slowly onto the less crowded street that I had just run from, trembling. My phone was already in my hand.
Ring. R…
"Lyn!" I started, my voice sounding distraught.
"Ok, ok, what's happening now?" Lyn asked in an anxious tone.
"I don't know where I am and it's really nowhere, I think, in America," I answered, my panic slightly skewing my sentences.
"Ok, ok, not in America? How so? What's telling you this?" Lyn seemed to be fighting her own anxiety with rationalization.
"I went – I followed your said – I looked for a landmark thing and a sign and it looks to be in some sort of Eastern writing, maybe like Asian," I finally managed to respond clearly.
"Asian? Is this like Chinese-Japanese symbols?" Lyn inquired again.
"Yeah that…and everyone's talking it," I confirmed.
"Are they going like 'ni hong wa' or are they going more like 'kuso!'?" Lyn asked trying to narrow down the possibilities.
"Uh…I think more of the second one but I'm not sure," I answered, unsure if I actually wanted to hear her conclusion.
"Oh. Dear. God." Was Lyn's quiet realization. Then she yelled, "how the hell did you wind up in Japan!?"
"What!?" I squawked back.
"You're probably in Japan. What the fuck? Or China…the fuck!" Lyn was in a full out panic.
"I don't know how I got here…uhhhh…I was just walking down the street," I answered giving a distressed whine.
"Ok, ok, ok, just calm down a minute," Lyn was probably talking to herself more than me, "and tell me what happened to you in a series of events. There's got to be a logical explanation for this. There is no way in hell you can just travel in fucking…I think it's like 9 time zones you just traveled."
"Um…let's see. I went and bought pocky at the specialty store we like and then I was walking and listening to my music, back to campus," I recounted, trying to regain some composure.
"Ok…then what?" Lyn asked expectantly.
"Ehh…then my music stopped and I looked and I was in the park," I answered quickly.
"Wow…um…wow…" of disbelief was Lyn's response. "Holy shit…uh…I…one moment." I heard a rustling of paper for a few seconds before she came back. "Ah, yes. I wonder if this is any accurate, but you should try dialing 119. I think that's the Japanese emergency number."
"Um…" even with the advice I was still unsure of my next course of action.
"I found it in a manga so…I don't know!" Lyn was exasperated but still trying.
"Ok, but-" I started, then heard a distinct sound.
Click.
I looked at my phone incredulously and realized that its battery had died and shut itself off. Not only was I unable to contact Lyn, but I couldn't call the emergency number that she had suggested. 'Fuck.'
Back in Oregon, Lyn had also realized that Corin's phone had just died.
"Fuck. Fuck. Corrie? Corrie? Fuck. Fuck." Lyn started to dial 911, but stopped and stared at her cell phone's screen. "What the hell am I gonna tell the cops? What the hell am I gonna tell her parents? How the heck am I gonna get anyone to believe me…Shiiiit."
'What now?' I wondered as I stared blankly at my phone, trying to jumpstart my brain.
Just then, pain coursed through my body making me wince and inhale sharply. My hands flew to the spot on my hip, which seemed to be the source, and applied pressure. Moving my fingers in harsh small circles I attempted to ease the pain. Closing my eyes I became oblivious to my surroundings, or even to the fact that there was no rational explanation for me to be in pain, I concentrated on soothing my muscles.
Another second and an even greater and sharper stabbing pain coursed through my body from my hip. My knees buckled underneath me and I barely noticed through my pain dulled mind that I fell to the ground. The impact caused more pain, but to a lesser extent. I had landed on my right shoulder and my head had hit the ground painfully. But none of these were comparable to the stabbing sensation at my hip, so they were shoved into the back of my mind with the dimly registered fact that I was on concrete.
Another pulse of stabbing pain coursed through my being. Colors swirled yet again, but I was unaware of this yet again. I curled into myself, backpack still on my back and cell phone clutched in a painful grip. In the back of my mind I registered that the ground seemed softer then it had a few moments ago. Giving a large hiss and whimper of pain, I continued to worry the spot at my hip where there was dimly receding throbbing.
A hand lightly gripped my left shoulder not a moment later. I hissed slightly and opened my eyes a fraction. My vision was blurred from the pulses of pain, but I was just able to make out two bare feet attached to jeans crouching in front of my vision on a cream colored carpet.
'So that's why the ground feels softer.' My thoughts clouded in slight delirium. I registered a voice from slightly above me, but I couldn't make out what was being said. Blinking hard and long, I opened my eyes wider, clenching my teeth. My vision traveled upward toward the voice taking in a white long sleeved shirt as it passed. What I saw made me freeze and, eyes wide, I almost forget to breath.
'No way. There is just no way.' I internally rationalized while taking in the figure in front of me. Looking off to the side with a blank look was insomniac panda eyes, pale skin, and wild raven colored hair. He was talking quickly into a cell phone held in a delicate grip, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. I carefully raised my head a few inches off the ground, my eyes filled with disbelief and shock.
'Is he really…' My voice betrayed all of my emotions, "L?!"
As soon as I had uttered the syllable, he broke off his conversation, eyes widening slightly, and snapped his eyes to look into mine. Not quite believing the accusation that I had just proclaimed and mind caving under the stress of the day and the quickly drifting pain I had experienced, my eyes rolled back into my head with a slight pained grimace. I was met with darkness as my head found the floor once more.
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