A girl sat on a bench along a busy walkway with an ice cream cone in her hand. She was watching the people go by with their lives, not even sparing her a second glance, which suited her just fine, the more she blended in the better. A group of teenagers about her age walked by and she debated getting up so she could see how well she blended in with the teenagers of this country but then she remembered that she was supposed to be looking for someone and decided against it.

'Sooo… do you see him, Rafe?' She asked her unseen, Death God companion silently.

"Sorry, Sky. I don't see him…oh wait. Yeah. He's over there. By the ice cream parlor."

The girl, Skyler, looked over and saw whom he was talking about.

'Who do you think he's with? It can't be that girl…can it?' She asked as she finished her cone and stood up, putting the iPod away that she always had with her but leaving the ear-buds in her ears.

"No. It looks like he's talking to the guy that the girl's clinging onto. Ryuk isn't one to drop his second note somewhere where a girl like her could pick it up." Rafe said flying over the crowd, toward the teen he and Skyler had been talking about.

'You're going to say 'hello'?' She asked as she made her way through the crowd toward the couple as well, 'That's not like you.'

"Well its that or have him be really surprised when he sees me later. You might want to give light a hand. Somehow I don't think he'd get over being left in the dark for any amount of time."

'From what I've read, I think that you're right.' Sky agreed as she pulled out a small slip of paper and held it in her hand, making her way closer to him.

With Light

'Misa's being awfully clingy today. Maybe it's because she's going across seas in a few weeks and She'll be gone for a whole month!' Light thought, only half paying attention the girl attached to his arm. He looked around to see if anyone he knew was there, laughing at his unfortunate situation. Luckily (somewhat) Ryuk was the only one, although he was enjoying this way too much in Lights opinion.

Suddenly, Ryuk's laughter cut off, almost like someone flipped a switch. Light followed his gaze and saw a girl making her way through the crowd.

She was average height and had sun-highlighted hair that was half pulled up. She wasn't extremely pretty but something drew his eyes to her. He watched as she got closer and he saw that she had those iPod ear-buds in, the white cord was a dead give away.

Just as she went to pass him, she tripped. He wrenched his arm out of the oblivious Misa's grasp and caught the girl before she landed face first on the hard concrete. As it was she still fell to her knee but she was wearing jeans so it wasn't bleeding.

"Are you alright?" He asked, holding onto her arms.

"Yeah. Thanks! That would've hurt." She said, smiling as she got back to her feet. She slid her arms out from his grasp. "Hello, Ryuk." she said quietly, looking right at the Death God.

Light looked at her shocked. 'She shouldn't be able to see him, much less know his name?' He looked at the shinigami, who was…wait…bowing?

He followed the death god's gaze and saw that he was looking at another shinigami, just above the girl's head.

'What the…?' the boy looked down and saw that the girl had somehow slipped a small slip of paper into his hand. 'It's a piece of a Death Note? But why?'

He looked up to ask her but she and her death God partner were already almost out of the crowd and he wouldn't be able to reach them without causing a scene.

"Well, that was…odd" he muttered to Ryuk, who agreed as he watched the pair leave.

Misa regained his attention, whining that he paid more attention to some girl he didn't even know, then her.

"That's not true." He reassured absentmindedly, his mind on the girl and the possibility of trouble that she created.

With Skyler

"Well, that wasn't exciting, at all." she complained out loud, now that they were away for people and no one could overhear.

"What did you expect?" Rafe asked, flying above her.

"I don't know. Not nothing, he didn't even react!" She looked up at him, "hey, why did he bow to you?"

He didn't answer.

"It's because you're the King's Second isn't it?" He nodded and turned onto a smaller, empty street.

"Something like that. Heads up, someone's coming" He warned, as a guy walked out of a side street and walked passed them.

They exited the street and starred up at a huge hotel just across a street.

"That it?" Rafe asked.

"Yeah, don't you have to go meet the King?" She questioned as she crossed the street.

"Yeah, but I'll wait until you get checked in."

'Cool.' She answered silently because they had entered the reception area.

"How can I help you?" the receptionist asked in a fake, cheery voice.

"Do you have an open room on the top floor?" Skyler asked in the same fake, cheery voice.

"I'm sorry. The whole top floor's being rented out. But there's a room on the next floor, would you like that one?"

"That's fine, thank you." She took the key and ran up the stair well. 'Can you go see if it's him?' she asked Rafe and he floated up through the ceiling.

When she got to the room and opened the door she saw Rafe standing by the window, watching the sun set.

"So he's here?" she asked collapsing on the couch.

Rafe nodded, turned around, and said, "I have to go. He's getting impatient." Skyler nodded in understanding.

"I won't leave the hotel until you get back. " She held up three fingers "Scout's honor. In fact I might not even leave this spot."

He laughed, "Just try and stay out of trouble."

"Me? Trouble? No way." She yawned "Definitely going to take a nap."

"Sleep well" he said and disappeared. Skyler yawned once more and fell asleep, hugging a pillow, with her head on another. She stayed that way until Rafe returned.

With Light

Now, usually the teen boy who was sitting in his computer chair would think things over and solve a puzzle in his head, without asking or using anyone's help. That was how he preferred to do anything, by himself. But this was different. This time the only way he was going to figure this puzzle out was by asking for help.

In the Safety of his own mind he could accept this. But the problem was admitting it out loud. Especially since the person (Death God, Whatever) was never going to let him forget it. The trick was to think of a way to phrase it so it didn't sound like a question… Yes. That was it…. But, How?

Ryuk sat on the bed eating an apple, and was thoroughly enjoying watching the usually cool and collected teen try and solve his dilemma. He planned on telling him but he was enjoying himself waaaaaayyyyy too much.

"Who was he? You bowed to him." Light stated. Ryuk gave him points for saying it so calmly. "Why?"

Ryuk finished his apple and sighed.

"His name's Rafe. Remember how I told you about the Shinigami King?" The teen nodded. "Well, there's also someone who's called the King's Second. Our King may be a clueless, lazy dolt but his one good idea was to make Rafe the Second. He's clever, powerful, ruthless, and is actually trying to do something in order to help our world. Or he was.

"About five years ago he disappeared."

"What'd you mean disappeared??"

"He stopped answering the Kings summons and no one had heard from him until about a year ago, just before you picked up the Death Note. He appeared in the king's home just as I was leaving with the Note.

"He had a Life Note."

"A Life Note?"