Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Death note, or any aspects of existing plot.

A/N Well, this is different! It has been ages since I have posted anything, and never have I posted to this fandom. Yes, it is all very new. Anyway, this story has been rated for a reason. It will include scenes of a sexual nature in later chapters, so read at your own risk. Also…Reviews are very much appreciated; please let me know what you think.

Italics – Thoughts

"Italics in inverted commas" – dialogue spoken in English

All other dialogue is to be assumed as Japanese

Chapter one - Detainment

May 28th 2004, 5.15pm

One hour after detainment

She lived knowing that it was only a matter of time.

The cold metal cuffs rubbed against her skin as she shifted her hips further back into the chair. How long would she be forced to sit here? She shifted again and tilted her head towards the ceiling, directing her eyes downwards in hopes to catch a glimpse of anything other than the pitch black of the blindfold. Nothing.

She slouched back in the seat, swallowing thickly as she chased her racing breath. In the deep recesses of her mind, behind the thick haze of worry and fear, she wondered how the Japanese police could be so cliché. It almost seemed like some kind of sick joke- apprehended by masked men and taken to a 'secret lair', to be blindfolded and hand-cuffed to a rather uncomfortable chair. It was like something out of a B-grade crime show.

She shook her head, her face contorting in pain as her shoulder blade dug into the steel of the back rest. Perhaps moving was not a good idea, her confines were tight and they certainly would not be loosening any time soon. She sobbed quietly under her breath as she frantically searched her mind for answers. She had always known that once she was discovered, the Japanese Government would not be lenient with her. After all, what she was doing was illegal, and the crime she was associated with was very real. However, having said that, she did not know that she would be held to this extent. The whole scenario was so drastic, so farfetched…To think all this would be linked to an expired visa?

Her head snapped up at the creak of a door, and moments later light footsteps could be heard clinking across the floor. Nausea flooded her stomach, and her hands began to sweat. What will they do with me?

"Pepper Collins?"

The deep male voice caused her body to seize up, and her breathing to hitch in her throat. I don't think I can do this.

"That's your name, isn't it?" The voice persisted.

"Y-yes."

Aizawa stood stiffly as he observed the young woman- a tiny little thing, with dark hair and pale skin. Her whole body shook in distress. He scoffed softly and cocked his head to the side. It was ridiculous to think that this girl could be the second Kira, that she was capable of murdering all those people. Even with her connection to the recent tape recordings; she just appeared too frail. Frail, yes, that was the word to describe her, for at the moment she did not look like she could kill a fly with a baseball bat. Perhaps this was the reason behind the 'minimum' security. It seems that, although L had inferred that this girl may have some involvement with the Kira case, Misa Amane was obviously his prime suspect, not Pepper Collins. All of this was just precaution.

Aizawa grunted and turned away, his arms now stretched above his head. Hope this thing doesn't take too long, he thought idly. Exhaustion was beginning to take its toll and his patience was already wavering. Last night had been exceptionally difficult, and even after he headed home for the night, the investigation weighed heavy on his mind, preventing him from getting any shut-eye. Ahh, I'll be glad when all this is over.

Suddenly, the shrill ringing of a phone filled the room and both occupants jerked in the direction of the noise. Pepper pressed her lips together as she listened, one ring, two, three, the receiver was swiped up but no voice was heard. Instead there was a heavy clunk as something was positioned on the desk in front of her. Immediately she attempted to pull back, but it was obvious she was put in this particular chair for a reason, it was not going to budge.

"Pepper Collins?" She froze, her breathing catching in her throat. This was a new voice, a strange one, completely alien as if spoken from behind a fan, or more likely, a voice filter of some sort.

"Y-yes, yes I'm…Pepper Collins" She stammered nervously, her words almost unrecognizable due to her patchy Japanese and shaking vocal cords.

"Do you know why you're here, Miss Collins?" English. Pepper sighed softly. The strange voice spoke English.

"Miss Collins?"

"I-I…ah" Her body tensed as she tried to work through her scrambled thoughts. "J-Japan is not my home country…I have been here for over 4 years...M-my visa…"

"Yes, I am aware of that. However, that is not the reason you are being detained."

Pepper swallowed the sob crawling up her throat, and pressed her lips together, fear threatening to take hold. They know...they know about London! How? How could this have happened? Her father said that he would take care of it, that everything would be ok. What now?

Aizawa frowned as he watched the emotions pass over the young woman's face, horror, fear, confusion. Although his English left much to be desired, he could tell her answers were sketchy. Perhaps this girl had more to do with the Kira case than he first thought.

"I-I don't know…what..." Her voice trailed off into the dead of the room, her body rigid, frozen to the back of the chair.

"Pepper Collins, you have been arrested under the suspicion of being the second Kira."

Pepper's face knotted in confusion. Kira. They thought her to be the second Kira? Well, I wasn't expecting that, she thought bemusedly. What the hell are they thinking? Apart from what she had heard on the news, and the brief snippets she picked up from her roommate, she knew next to nothing about the Kira murders. Sure, she knew enough to know she did not agree with them, but she certainly was no expert. How could they think her capable of crimes that she knew so little about?

"I'm sorry but…I think you've made a mistake." Her voice was soft but controlled, almost confident compared to her previous words. While the accusations were serious, her innocence allowed her a small amount of hope.

"Hmmm…Is that so? Well perhaps you can explain why yours were one of three sets of fingerprints on the video tapes sent to Sakura TV?" The computerized thrum of the voice had lost some of its precision and began to sound more human, maybe even a little bored.

Pepper furrowed her brow causing the course fabric of the blindfold to scratch against the skin of her nose. She thought over the past few weeks, searched back. She recalled plain days when she laid sick in bed with the flu, an angry phone call from her boss, and an argument she had with her room mate over missing malteasers. She recalled the Kira broadcasts. Although she could only briefly remember the messages, she could still picture the gothic script and hear the deep filtered voice. What she could not remember was how she became involved in such tapes. One of three...I am not the only suspect.

"I don't know…I- don't know how…I mean, I saw the broadcasts, but I don't know how…It's just that, my apartment is full of all these weird tapes and old occult movies…My room mate-"

"-Kameko Saito?"

Pepper froze momentarily, before replying "Yes… Kameko Saito..."

A strange sound which could be considered a hum met her ears. She bit her lip softly and rolled her hands into fists. "She's one of the other suspects isn't she?"

After a brief silence the voice spoke again. "Pepper Collins, how well do you know Misa Amane?" Apparently he decided to ignore her question and move on with the investigation.

"Misa Amane?" Pepper frowned, was there a reason behind his avoidance, or was he just trying to move things along? She sighed heavily and attempted to readjust in the chair, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. "Not very well…She's one of Kameko's friends. I never really had much to do with her."

"I see, and when was the last time you saw Miss Amane?"

Pepper paused, the stuffiness of the room and the tightness of the blindfold was beginning to make her feel nauseous. Again she tried to readjust in the chair. "She came by last week to speak with Kameko…but she didn't stick around long." She answered finally, her body now less comfortable than it was before.

"And before that?"

She squeezed her eyes shut behind the dark fabric and swallowed thickly. While her mind knew that she needed to concentrate, her body was giving in to the stress of the situation. "I…I can't remember an exact time, maybe a few weeks ago, she would sort of just drop in at random times. She and Kameko were always making these weird poltergeist films that they would send off as pranks…"

The silence that ensued was long and uncomfortable and Pepper was unsure if it was a pensive silence, or if she was expected to keep speaking. Either way, it was becoming obvious she had nothing more to add. She frowned warily and dropped her chin to her chest, her pale eyes closing beneath the blindfold. Waiting. The minutes rolled on, quiet and disconcerting, and before long she could hear the impatient tap, tap, tap of a foot drumming against the linoleum flooring. It seems the other occupant of the room was becoming just as frustrated with the situation as herself.

To prove her point, the man sighed heavily as if to urge the investigation along. It worked too, for not a second later, as if in answer to his blatant show of irritation, the voice spoke up once more. "Thank you, Miss Collins, that will be all. Aihara, please take her to the holding cell at the end of hallway 9, see to it she gets what she needs."

A/N well, that's it. First chapter. Please let me know what you think, criticism, advice and suggestions are always welcome.