Anti Adoption Plan

"Uuuurch!"

There was a quick sound of crashing plastic: the evil Kira had driven into a police car again. His bright red hot wheels was racing around the city of dice that Near had built. Approximately seventeen towers; standing high in a variety of measures, thus giving more of a downtown feel to the city. All white with black dots, like a charcoal town going through a snow storm. That was the best analogy Near could come up with.

The police car drove off, leaving Kira's red convertible sitting at a seven-dice-high building. Foiled again, thought the Kira car.

Near raised a small hand to his curly, white hair. Aimlessly, he coiled a lock between his fingers, as he glanced in the direction of the playroom door.

"Good morning, Nate!" said the cheerful orphanage director.

Roger stood in the doorway of Near's playroom. Beside him were a man and woman holding hands. The man was wearing a grey, three-piece-suit and a matching hat. He had dark brown hair that was long enough to be visible from under the hat. On his tanned face was a goatee of the same colour. The woman was very short and had bleached blonde hair that was almost as light as Near's and stunning blue eyes. She wore a blue summer dress that was covered in a floral design of little lilies. The couple had wide smiles and somewhat caring looks in their eyes.

Near let his head fall to the side gracefully, whilst still curling his hair. "Morning, Roger." He decided it would be polite to stand for the entrance of the adults, so he rose from his awkward sitting position on the floor. Bowing slightly, he said again, "good morning," this time referring to the strangers.

The couple made a slight cooing noise, as Roger began to speak again. "This is Mr. and Mrs. King. They are here to adopt you."

Near felt his mouth open slightly, but quickly regained his neutral state.

The Whammy Orphanage was for gifted kids. No one came here to adopt children very often. Especially not Near. He was going to be the successor of L. It was important that no one adopted him so that he would be able to continue after Lawliet was finished. Inside, he shuddered at the thought. L was mentor and friend. The person he loved the most in the world. There was no one who had ever shown him as much knowledge or love.

Near wanted to know what Lawliet would think about all of this. He wouldn't let him get adopted. L would disagree with Roger and wouldn't be very pleased. Come to think of it, neither would Watari, the man that owned the orphanage. Why was Roger putting him up for adoption?

Near's mind swam with questions. Then he noticed that it was strangely quiet and Roger was watching him with a puzzled look.

"Hi." He said softly. Near sat back down quickly, accidently knowing over his dice city. Unnerved, he began to build it again. He hoped they would get bored and disappear through the big doors of the orphanage that they had undoubtedly entered from. Maybe they would find him too weird. If only Mello was around, or Matt, to make fun of him so they would see the bad side of him and go away. Or they would adopt Mello or Matt instead. It was a possibility. There was a chance.

Mrs. King had walked further into the playroom. Her dress clashed with the lime green walls. Near had always wondered why they were green. Sometimes he would travel with all of his toys to another playroom in the orphanage, just to get away from them. But he really liked this one. It had a big window that he was just tall enough to look out of, whereas all of the other windows were too high.

"What are you playing?" She has a soft, motherly voice. Though she talked to Near as if he were two; he was, in fact, nine years of age with an IQ of no less than 170. Although he let some people get away with talking to him like a baby, he was usually upfront and spoke to everyone like an adult. Whenever he actually spoke; this wasn't very often.

"Cops and robbers," he said plainly, as if every child played it. The city was finally complete and Near picked up Kira's car with his thumb and forefinger, placing it gently in front of the city. The police car was stationed beside a ten-dice-high building on the other side. Cops and robbers wasn't usually played with dice cities or miniature cars, but Near made up his rules.

Instead of beginning the chase, Near added two extra cars. In his small toy box of cars, he found a grey pick up truck and a small, blue mini cooper. A tiny smile played across his face, as he placed them next to each other in the center of the city.

Mrs. King watched intently, as Near held the Kira car in one pale hand and the police car in another. He drove them through the air for a few minutes before looking at the curious woman.

"Mrs. King, have you ever done anything bad?" It was an honest question, but he wasn't expecting an honest answer. Who tells a child if they have done something wrong?

The woman titled her head and asked, "What do you mean, darling?" Leaning in closer to Near, she stared deeply into his grey eyes. He could see a hint of fear in hers, and he wondered what she saw in his.

"Do you have any skeletons?" He pressed slightly, "not literally, of course." He added calmly. Somewhere during the confrontation, he had moved both cars into his left hand and was twirling a lock of white between his fingers of his right. Subtly, he waited for an answer. His mind raced deviously.

"Well, I guess, we all have some baggage, sweetheart." She looked nervously at her husband and Roger. The men were solemnly watching and seemed to show no emotion whatsoever. There was something weird about the boy.

Suddenly, there was a crash of plastic on plastic and the towers of dice fell all around the small boy. His head was bowed slightly. Grasping the Kira car, he looked up at the now frightened woman. A dead silence has befallen her and she was shaking mildly.

The men were still and didn't make any signs that they were paying attention to the shuddering woman. It was as if they weren't even in the room. Their blank faces stared off into absolute nothingness. No thoughts registered in their minds.

Near was now grinning, "Kira wants judgment, Mrs. King." He gently picked up the blue cooper from the pile of dice. "I was to stop him, but there are too many cars in the way, that I," he dropped the Kira car and seized the police car, "can't get to him."

There was a long stillness in the room.

"Do you understand, Mrs. King?" Near said slowly. His car analogy seemed to dampen the happy feeling that Mrs. King has entered the room with. She now had an almost depressed look upon her pretty face.

She nodded. Lifting herself from the floor, she fixed her dress and walked back to the door of the playroom. Determined to leave the boy as fast as she possibly could, she grabbed her husband by the arm and hauled him out the door, only to hear him protest and say how delightful and adorable Near was.

Roger was left standing in the doorway, dazed and confused. "Near, why did they leave?" he asked, dumbfounded. He swore just a moment ago, the couple and himself were discussing Nate River's heritage excitedly. The couple seemed so ecstatic.

"I don't know, Roger." Near said sadly, once again driving his Kira car and police car through the air. "Maybe they aren't quite ready for the responsibility of a parent."

Nodding, Roger waved and headed back down the hall to his office.

The successor of L smiled widely and began to build up his dice castle for the third time.