As we walked, I saw that the alleyway opened up into a large open space dotted with buildings. I thought it was a park, at first. However, upon closer inspection, I realized that it was a college campus, and a green one at that, with plenty of trees and grassy fields.
"It's so pretty here," Olivia said next to me, a peaceful tone in her voice.
"I know. There's a sign over there, maybe it'll tell us where we are." I pointed. Olivia looked up at me in confusion.
"I didn't say anything."
"Yes, you did. You said, 'It's so pretty here'."
Olivia's eyes widened. "No…that's what I thought."
"What?" There is no way…
Olivia blinked. "I heard that…"
Seriously? You can hear what I'm thinking right now?
Yes! Oh, this is so awesome! We're telepathic!
Well, it appears that way…I blinked, shaking my head in confusion.
THIS IS SO COOL! THIS IS SO COOL-
OLIVIA! I yelled inside my head.
"Ow…" She winced. That was too loud!
Sorry. Let's go check out that sign, okay? I thought, forcing myself to calm down.
Fine.
There was a large crowd gathered at the front of the college, where the sign was. The majority of the crowd seemed to be college-aged. Everyone was dressed fancily- the men wore suits; the girls, skirts.
Olivia, I think we're in Asia, I thought at her. Everyone here seems to be Asian.
You're probably right, Olivia thought back. They must have just gotten out of some kind of meeting, or something…
As we walked, Near scurried down from Olivia's head, taking his usual place on her shoulder. Olivia smiled, petting the rat and whispering soothingly to him. Once we got close enough to read the sign, Olivia suddenly stopped, eyes shining.
"What is it?" I asked, turning to face her.
The sign…Olivia's mind-voice trailed off. I quickly turned and read the sign. Even though it was in Asian characters, I could read and understand it instantly.
"To-Oh University…"No way, I thought as I approached the sign. It's not possible-
My thoughts were cut off as I read the smaller print beneath the heading.
Olivia…
I know. To-Oh University! It actually exists in real life! And that means we're in Japan! And we're probably speaking Japanese too! Waah, this is awesome!
No…Beneath that…"Congratulations to our freshman representatives, Light Yagami and Hideki Ryuga."
What? You mean…what?!
This is not possible, I thought, stepping within arm's reach of the sign, feeling the cold mulch beneath my feet. It's just…not possible… In a trance, I reached out my hand, touching the sign. My fingers met a solid, smooth surface, and I blinked in surprise.
It's real…
What did you think it was, a hologram? The important thing is, we're in the Death Note world! We have to be! Oh, you have got to be freaking kidding me!
Either that, or someone's playing a major prank on us. I glanced around, half-expecting people to run out with hidden cameras.
And how would they give us telepathy, hmmm? Or make us look like we're twenty? And what about us suddenly knowing how to speak Japanese? I'm telling you, this is not a prank.
You're right…I thought, turning away from the sign, and returning to Olivia. Before we do anything else, let's see where the hotel is.
Hotel?
We got a hotel card key, remember? It has the address of the hotel on it- let's find out where it is, I thought at her, still a little skeptical about the whole situation. We should just take our time with this…and find out what's going on without jumping to conclusions.
Olivia nodded, sighing, and began walking in the opposite direction. I glanced at the crowd before turning away. All of a sudden, I stopped, a bemused expression on my face. Olivia paused along side me.
What?
Without saying anything, I turned back, my eyes franticly searching the crowd. Then I saw them. Them. They were standing next to each other, talking. Light was facing away from me, but I could see Ryuzaki's face well enough. And his eyes were focused directly on me. As I met his gaze, I knew, in that instant, that this was not some cosplayer or actor pretending to be L. This was, indeed, the real Ryuzaki. Any doubts that I might have had about the whole situation were wiped away in that instant.
Light must have noticed that Ryuzaki was staring at something, so he turned around, his eyes falling on me. Once again, I knew that this was the living, breathing Kira, and not a pretender. Olivia tried to turn around, to get another glimpse of what I was staring at, but I quickly grabbed her arm.
Olivia! Don't! I thought at her as I broke eye contact with the duo, heart pounding.
What? She asked as she followed me in the opposite direction.
You're just going to make them suspicious!
Make who suspicious?
Just come on! I growled, turning onto a busy street. I pulled Olivia into the first café that I found, Near squeaking in protest at the bumpy ride. Once we were safely in a random booth, I breathed a sigh of relief, dumping my backpack next to me. Thankfully, the waitress who had seated us hadn't commented on our lack of footwear. Maybe they don't have the 'no shoes, no shirt, no service' rule in Japan…or maybe she just didn't notice.
What is your problem? Olivia thought at me.
"No. Talk to me; It'll look weird if we just sit here staring at each other," I muttered.
"Fine. Now will you tell me why we left in such a hurry?" Olivia whispered.
"I…I think you're right. I think…" I took a deep breath. "We're in the Death Note world. For real. I mean, seriously, I can't even think straight right now…" I let out a breathy laugh.
Olivia raised an eyebrow. "And what's with the sudden change of heart?"
"I saw them."
"Who?"
"Them!"
"Who?"
"Light and L!" Olivia's eyes grew wide, becoming completely ecstatic. "And they saw me- I think I made them suspicious of us."
Just then, the waitress arrived with our orders.
"Let's see…one caramel sundae-"
"Here," Olivia said happily.
"And one root beer float."
"Thank you."
Once the waitress had left, I dug into the root beer float, the familiar taste calming my nerves.
"Mmm…better." I murmured, my racing heart slowing.
"You just had root beer at my house!" Olivia chastised.
"I didn't get to finish it! And, besides, I've just had a traumatic experience. I'm entitled."
"You call meeting an anime character traumatic?! Geez, I thought you were thrilled…I know I am! And I didn't even get a chance to really see them," Olivia complained. "But still…oh, my god…" Olivia let out a tiny squeal.
"Down, fangirl," I joked. "But, really, we need to control ourselves. If we see them again…"
The door to the café opened, and a very familiar silhouette slouched into the room. I immediately focused my attention on my root beer.
Olivia, do not, I repeat, DO NOT turn around. Olivia quickly busied herself with her caramel sundae, still fighting off a smile.
What?
Somebody we know very well has entered the café.
Which one?
The sweet-obsessed one.
Panda man? Olivia grinned.
Yup. And he's coming this way.
Author's Note: And the plot thickens! Please review!
