How many of you hate me right now? raises hand Yup, me too. I don't know why I do this to myself. I think I'm putting myself into an early grave. Will you all come to my funeral? puppy eyes Yeah, yeah, I know, you all still hate me. But hey, I'm branching out, right? No more Naruto fanfics for a while. And yes, I feel guilty cause this wasn't on my list of "Coming Soon" animes, but you should all know by now that I rarely stick to my word! Unless it's like, really, really, important.

So, this thought randomly came into my head while I was watching Death Note on TV (Saturday night, midnight, on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim), and I guess I couldn't get it out of my head. I've only watched a few episodes, so my knowledge is that of a peanut's. Please don't kill me if I mess something up! TT

My inspiration for this chapter: an apple (you know, like the ones Ryuk is always eating?)

----apple----

Naeko looked out the tinted window of the cab, trying her hardest not to fall asleep. The plane ride had been a long one, and though she had had intentions of falling asleep on the way to Japan, several obstacles had gotten in her way. That day, Naeko had found out…babies and planes DO NOT MIX.

"Is this it?" the cab driver asked, looking over his shoulder so that Naeko knew the question was directed at her. The cab pulled to a stop, and Naeko looked out the window at the house they had stopped in front of. It was almost exactly like the house in a picture she had been shown before she left, the only difference being the color of the grass. Maybe somebody had been neglecting the yard, for the grass to have become so yellow. It wasn't even so hot out this time of year.

"Yes, this is it," she replied. The cab driver nodded and got out of the cab, heading towards the trunk to remove her suitcase from the trunk. Naeko grabbed her duffel bag off of the seat next to her and slammed the door shut, the noise resounding through out the entire quiet, peaceful neighborhood. Well, of course it was peaceful; all of the annoying little kids were asleep! Thank god for that little peace of heaven.

"Thank you for driving me all the way out here," Naeko said politely to her driver. They bowed to each other, and when the man wasn't looking she slipped a five dollar bill into his jacket pocket.

"It was no problem, really!" the driver said back, his smile stretching across his handsome face. He really hadn't noticed Naeko's sneaky motions at all. "Next time you need a driver, call me up!"

Naeko laughed lightly, her charming personality kicking in. It was the one thing that made her popular at her old school, besides her good grades and her active athletic life. "Yes, well, I don't think I have to go anywhere that far away for a while now, but if I do, I'll be sure to request you!" The driver smiled warmly at her, and the two stood there for a moment, before the driver blushed, realizing her had been standing there a bit too long.

"Yes, well, I'll see you later, Naeko!" he said bowing once more and running around to the other side of the car.

"See you, Kenji!" Naeko called back. Her suitcase lay abandoned on the sidewalk where her newest friend had stood only moments earlier. Naeko waved goodbye until the cab was out of sight, and then she took a good look at her newest home - at least for the next few years.

A sudden movement caught her eye, forcing her to look up into an upstairs window of the house to the right of her aunt and uncle's. A light had turned on, and curtains were pulled aside for the mystery person to look outside. Nosy bastards, Naeko thought, pulling her nose up as though the person could actually see her disdain. Naeko's curiosity got her to look just a tad bit closer, though. With the light behind them, Naeko could easily see that the silhouette was that of a male's. Then, the curtains closed and the light flicked off.

Huh, well that was short. Maybe they weren't really looking at me, maybe they were looking at something else. Oh, look, I guess Auntie Mayako and Uncle Yuki are up. Naeko dragged her suitcase to the front porch and knocked on the door. It was immediately opened by her aunt, and Naeko was swept up into a huge hug.

"Oh, Naeko! We just heard you drive up! Here, let your Uncle Yuki get your suitcase for you. Come in, come in. We have hot chocolate, if you want it," Mayako blabbed. Naeko could only smile sweetly and allow her quiet uncle to take her suitcase.

After Naeko insisted she didn't need any hot chocolate, she was shown to her guest room. Much to her dislike, she found out it was right across from the window the light had been on in next door. The good thing was that there was an included bathroom in the room, so she could get dressed in there. Anyone could tell that Naeko wasn't fond of peekers, and if someone had looked out just to see who had stopped in the next-door drive, who new what they would look at if she forgot to close her curtains while dressing one unfortunate night…

Naeko visibly shuddered, and her aunt asked if she was cold. Naeko smiled sweetly and replied that she was fine. Mayako nodded and smiled back, exiting the room to allow time for Naeko to unpack her things and have time to herself. Not that she hadn't been somewhat alone for the past two hours while she drove in the cab.

Naeko locked her room and then dropped her duffel bag on the nice, clean bed, flopping down beside it with a sigh. How many nice, polite smiles had she given out today? Too many to count, that was for sure. She rubbed her jaws; Naeko rarely smiled and today had been a real workout for her mouth muscles.

Naeko looked out her window. When she sat on her bed - which was up against her longest wall, the wall across from her door - she could see the stars and a small portion of the moon, but the house next door was blocking out the rest of the night sky. Scowling, Naeko shoved her duffel bag off of her bed and crawled underneath the covers of her bed. She didn't even bother to close her blinds, because the were only made of sheer material, and she could see the streetlights through them, so they wouldn't give her much protection anyway. What a bunch of crap…

Naeko felt herself slip in and out of sleep, her mind running over all the things she had said that day, all of the conversations she had held, and all of the sights she had seen. One particular thought that entered her mind was that of the cab driver, Kenji. She had felt sorry for him, because he had probably been her age, if not a few years older. That age, and already having a full-time job must be horrible. But, the two had hit it off really well, and she had gone as far as to rank him a "friend" in her mind, something she hardly ever did. Naeko had very few friends, and for good reasons too.

Another thought entered Naeko's head, probably the last thought she had before falling asleep. I don't have an alarm set. I hope Auntie and Uncle wake me up in the morning. Damn, I don't really have to wear those hideous uniforms, do I? Miniskirts, ugh. But, knowing Mayako, she probably picked out the smallest of the miniskirts. Not that I'd have a problem with it if I didn't actually have to wear it in public, but I never show that much skin. And why knee socks? Why not leggings? At least if the guys flipped our skirts, they'd only see our leggings, and not our underwear. Geez, this is so retarded. Damn, I need to stop thinking so negatively. And this whole cussing thing, when did it start? I feel like I hardly know myself anymore! Maybe that's why I accepted this foreign exchange program. Mom really freaked when she found out I was going to the same prefecture as the legendary "Kira", but I really couldn't give a damn. It's not like I'm gonna meet the guy. Or maybe it's a girl. You know what, I bet it's a girl. Girl power, woot.

Naeko sighed as her sarcastic thoughts took over. Snuggling deeper under the covers of her bed, the girl felt a sense of calm drift over her, and she fell into a deep sleep. Dreams of miniskirts, perverse, skirt-flipping, peeking, neighbors, and cab rides into the sunset filled her head, amusing her more than anything. Yes, Naeko used her dreams for amusement, and nothing more. It's not like she was planning to take over the world or anything. That was Kira's job.

----Kira----

Naeko woke up to the smell of breakfast the next morning. She couldn't tell exactly what was being cooked, but it sure did smell good. Drifting out of her bed, Naeko ran her fingers through her hair as she unlocked her door and walked down the stairs into the kitchen. It was easy to find your way in the Menshi family household.

"Good morning, Naeko!" Mayako greeted enthusiastically. Naeko mumbled a good morning back, and then plopped into one of the kitchen chairs. Mayako immediately put a plate in front of her, and Naeko thanked her again, muttering an inaudible, "Itchadakimasu." Mayako sat down and dug into her own plate. Naeko barely noticed, though, because she was busy savoring the unknown food.

"So, Naeko, are you excited for your first day of school in Japan?" Mayako asked in-between small bites. Naeko nodded, swallowing her mouthful before answering.

"Yes, but I'm not looking forward to the uniform I'm sure you've picked out for me. Miniskirts my ass," Naeko said, humor in her eyes. It was a well known joke of the family that Mayako's attempts to get the tomboy Naeko into skirts and showy shirts never ended well.

"Aw, you're no fun," Mayako said, pouting a little and putting her hands on her tiny hips.

"Yeah, yeah," Naeko said, laughing. Mayako was definitely her favorite family member, even if the older women tried to get her into the most ridiculous clothing sometimes. Naeko gulped down the last of her breakfast and then rose from the table, setting her plate carefully into the sink to be washed later. "Um, speaking of the damned uniform, where is it? I think I should be getting ready for school now."

Mayako laughed, totally unphased by her niece's swearing. "I hung it in your closet once I got it. You'll know which one it is. Oh, and the socks and shoes should be in the bottom of the closet." Naeko nodded and waved goodbye to her uncle, not sure if he would be leaving for work soon or not.

Naeko ran up the carpeted stairway and entered her bedroom, closing it with a snap of the lock. She didn't even have to turn on her light to see, because the sun was well up, making its way into her room through the window (and its shitty curtains).

Naeko looked into her closet and noted that it wasn't the only outfit hanging up. Rummaging around a bit, she found the very tidy-looking tan blouse and skirt combo. It really didn't look all that bad, if she could imagine it on someone besides herself. Resigning herself to her fate, Naeko changed quickly and skidded into her personal bathroom, running her hairbrush through her shoulder length chocolate brown hair, brushing her teeth, and washing her face. Then she reached into her closet again and pulled out the matching black shoes, a wad of socks stuffed into the toes of one shoe. After donning socks and shoes, Naeko ran back downstairs and looked at the time. What had she been hurrying for? She still had plenty of time, if the schools started at 8:10 like she had been told.

"Getting an early start?" Mayako asked, opening the door for her niece.

"Yeah, I guess," Naeko admitted. "I want to know my way around the school, and I might even get to meet the teachers and other students if I have enough time."

Mayako made a face. "Aw, Naeko, don't turn into a teacher's pet on the first day! That'd totally ruin your rep! Try to be the popular girl every guy dreams of drooling over!"

"Yeah, yeah," Naeko said, humoring her aunt. "Well, then, I'll see you later. You don't mind if I stay a little after school, do you?"

"Why would I mind?" Mayako asked blankly, focusing on the sexy mailman walking across the street, about to deliver their mail.

"Ugh, you are such a blank slate!" Naeko yelled, running down the steps to the sidewalk. "See you later," she added as an afterthought. Mayako broke her eyes away from the mailman long enough to wave a goodbye, and then went back to staring.

---enter Light---

Yeah, yeah, bad ending for today. Next chapter you'll see how Light fits into all of this, because right now I only gave a bit of background onto my OC character. I didn't spell check this very well, so just ignore my mistakes, and like I said, I have the knowledge of a peanut when it comes to Death Note, so constructive criticism is totally welcomed! Not that there's much to comment on….but do it anyway!