- Chapter I -

"You're leaving already?"
"Mello will need me. Besides, it's not like I've got anything here to stay for."

Matt's eyes locked onto Nears. Even from across the room, he could tell what Near was thinking. The white haired boy silently dropped his gaze back to the puzzle laid on the floor. His eye's clouded over slightly as if it was about to start raining.

"Congratulations, by the way…" Matt sighed lightly before turning to leave Wammy's forever.

Near looked up but he was already gone.

"Matt, wait!" Near stood and darted out of the room after him. He looked down the hallway but there wasn't a soul to be seen. He rushed to get outside, hoping he could catch Matt.

"I'm an accomplice in the kidnapping of Takada. Don't you have a bunch of questions to ask me?"

Near stopped in horror. His eyes jumping nervously at the twenty or so armed men surrounding Matt.

"What's the point in firing…"

Terrified, Near began to speak; his words barley a whisper "Matt, I -"

His sentence was cut short as explosion after explosion sent tiny projectiles into Matt's body; cutting him open and shredding his organs.

Near woke trembling and gasping for air. It had been three years since Matt was unjustly gunned down and his death still haunted him. He slid out of bed and pulled open the curtains. Trying to fall asleep again would be futile; it always was.

The sky was shaded a deep blue, gradually getting lighter from behind the pine trees that stood strongly just outside the grounds of Wammy's House. Near, like his predecessor, didn't sleep a lot at the best of times but since he returned, the nightmares that plagued him were more frequent and still as shocking as ever.

***

"Are you all right Near? You seem very distracted." Halle asked.
"I'm fine. Just a bit sleep deprived."
"Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?" She knew him well enough to know something was wrong.

Near gave her a loathsome look out of the corner of his eye.

"If you don't mind I'd rather not discuss it."

She also knew when to stop pushing.

"Near, I've got the details of the latest victim." Lester announced as he entered the room.
"Thank you Lester." His tone hinting at the lingering tension.

Lester glanced over to Halle who was watching him.

"…W-" He was just about to speak as she shook her head to warn him.
"Another seemingly random victim with an equally as random number, located in the Winchester area…" Near let the words drop quietly out of his mouth before slipping into thought.

Seven murders only connect by their location and a number drew on their forehead. 78, 101, 97, 114, 73, 109 and 98. There doesn't seem to be any pattern and they don't link to any of the victim's de-

"What do you think, Near?" Lester asked.
"Other than the obvious, I've yet to find anymore information." His gaze remained fixed on the report.
"We'll have to wait until David returns."

Near, now apparently frustrated, roughly dropped the file on the floor, knocking over a small card tower in the process. He pulled himself up of the ground and left; not even bothering to acknowledge the existence of his two assistants. Lester's eyes followed Near until he was out of sight, then he turned to Halle.

"So, what's with him?" he asked.

***

In his haste, Near hadn't noticed that he'd wandered outside. That is until the cool air hit him like a heavyweight boxer and the gravel stabbed at his feet. He retreated slightly and sat on the steps leading into the orphanage in his usual pose.

It wasn't like Near to be so blatantly emotional in front of others, if you could even call that emotional, but his personal issues have been getting the better of him lately.

"Man, it's hotter than hell today." An amused voice cut through Nears thoughts.
"…David."
"How long have you been out here?" He sounded slightly concerned.
"About ten minutes."
"Well I've checked the scene, but if you want to hear about it you'd better come in."

Near shot him an annoyed look but knew he had to get back to work.

David Umber had joined the team earlier that year as a replacement for Gevanni. Although he was a psychologist, he had no problem investigating crime scenes and doing most of the legwork for Near. How he came to be involved with the new L though is a mystery itself.

***

David entered the temporary investigation room followed closely by Near, who had his head hung towards the floor and looked as if he was contemplating something grim.

"David, did you find anything?" Lester asked eagerly.
"Yeah actually…" thumbing towards the detective behind him and smiling "I found Near outside."

He was met by a room of murderous eyes.

"…right." He sighed. "Nothing. I couldn't find a damn thing. Whoever this guy is, he didn't leave a lot behind him." Both Halle and Lester made an audible noise of angry disappointment.

Near had made his way over to a worn desk where all of the case files so far now lay open as he studied them quietly.

"Did the most recent victim own a computer?" Near asked over the silence.
"Yeah there was one upstairs. It hasn't been examined yet but I imagine nothing will be found on this one either." David answered dismissively.
"Was there anything unusual about it?"

He paused to think for a moment "I spoke with his wife who said it was turned on whe-"

"Why wasn't that mentioned in the report?"
"…Well either she didn't tell the cops or they thought it unimportant and omitted it."
"That's it." Near said confidently.

The other three looked around at each other with a confused expression plastered on each of their faces, before David asked what everyone was thinking.

"What is?"

Without lifting his head up from the files, he explained.

"Mr. Anderson was sat at his computer when he was startled by a noise downstairs. Upon investigating, the killer got the better of him and that was the end of Mr. Anderson. It's plausible enough but it doesn't explain anything; I was merely getting it out of the way."

The room once again fell silent. Near turned to face his team and lifted an idle hand to jam into his hair.

"One thing I've noticed is that all of the previous victims were found next to a laptop or close proximity to a computer. This didn't strike me as odd until just now. Mr. Anderson died downstairs whilst watching T.V., I believe that he was possibly sleeping when he was suffocated. Now the killer, rather than move the body, simply turned on the computer. Possibly to leave us a clue."

"But couldn't the victim have turned on his computer and left it to do something else?" Halle countered.
"Yes, that's a very real possibility. But since this seems to be the only inconsistency in the killings I feel it's a path which should be investigated as soon as possible."

Near rewarded himself with a trip to the warm rug below him where he resumed playing with his deck of cards.

"I'm not sure how to decode the numbers but I'm almost certain that's how we'll find out." He spoke to no one in particular but all of the team knew to get on it.

***

Near had left the investigation room to explore the halls he grew up in and, more importantly, clear his mind for the rest of the day. The building was eerily quiet as all of the children and most of the staff, were on a field trip for a few days. Near recognised the door he stood in front of; it was his old room. A trail of light held the door open and Near, almost cautiously, pushed it open. The place looked almost as he'd left it apart from the few possessions of the new occupants. He walked over to the bed taking in all the atmosphere he hadn't experienced in years, and sat closed in on himself on the edge.

*******

Matt lay sprawled out on his bed trying to ignore the increasing shouts across the hall. Mello had left to argue with Near over something undoubtedly insignificant and he wanted no part in it.

"I said look at me when I'm talking to you, damn it!" Mello's voice was unnervingly clear even through the walls.

Matt hated to see Near abused but he would usually stay out of their spats, just in case he'd do something he would regret. But now, Mello was becoming extremely agitated.

He threw himself off of his bed and started for the door.

"No, fuck you Near!" Mello shouted as Matt entered the hall. Then, there was a deadly silence.

Matt literally jumped across to Near's room and flung the door open. He was momentarily stunned at the sight of Near lying awkwardly on the floor as Mello stood over him with his fists clenched.

"Mello! What the fuck did you do!?" Matt was panicked but demanded an answer that he all ready knew.

He had hit him and hit him hard.

Mello stood there with his mouth moving slightly as if he was trying to answer but shocked even himself. Matt had rushed over and was knelt beside the helpless boy.

"…I… I –" Mello stuttered.

Matt reached up with one hand and pushed him away.

"Get the hell outta here!" He commanded.

Mello complied and left quietly. He was still speechless.

"Near. Jesus, are you all right?" he asked lightly shaking him.

The broken boy who was still conscious pushed himself from the ground slightly.

"I'll be fine…" he squeezed out.

His voice was noticeably shaky. Matt helped him to sit up and, to Near's surprise, threw his arms around him, pulling him tight as if to protect him should Mello come back.

"I'm sorry, Near."
"It wasn't your fault…" the trapped albino began before Matt pushed him away slightly.

He briefly gazed into Near's cold, crystal eyes before standing and helping him to his feet.

"C'mon, you should get yourself checked."

*******

Near sat twirling his hair looking down at the spot where Mello had hit him for the first and only time. He turned his attention outside towards Matt and Mello's door. He entered their room which was, more or less, just like his. Only their window overlooked the main road which ran past Wammy's entrance. He didn't have any prominent memories here; he just recalled a messy stack of video games that once sat on the bedside locker and chocolate bars randomly scattered about the room. Nothing of their past lives remained here, only Near's memories. He looked out at the overcast sky with the darkness quickly moving towards him. It's mixture of subtle greys and whites were beautiful in their own way and then he noticed something, or rather, someone.

There was a man about his age walking down the street slowly. He ran one hand along the fence and had the other in his pocket. The wind had swept his reddish-brown hair over most of his face; although from this distance he would have been difficult to make out had his hair not been in the way. His most distinguishing feature though, was a simple faded black and white stripped shirt. Near stood wide-eyed and frozen as his mind raced frantically searching for an answer. This man was the spitting image of Matt. The same Matt that had been put in the ground three years ago.

***

"Near, you were right, we found the message." Halle informed him as he returned.
"Good work," he simply said "what can you tell me about it?" his mind was still focused on what he'd just seen.
"Well," David intervened "it was actually quite simple. The numbers corresponded to printable ASCII characters. I'm surprised we didn't pick up on it sooner."
Halle continued "Unfortunately, the message is unfinished but it's directed at you: Near Im b. The b is lower-case so we can assume there will be more murders."

Near Im b… what could that mean? Someone who knows I-

The shift in Near's eyes told the team that he had figured out what it meant.

Near, I'm back.


-- EΩG