If you have read Death Note: Another Note, then you are aware of the two other cases that L related to Mello. This is the tale of the case that gave L his name, the case that made the world stand up and take notice of his genius.

This story does play into my other fic, Death Note 3rd Arc, and if you are wondering, this tale, as well as the other one, is being written during the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day. This is what he did with his time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, not the anime or the manga. Death Note belongs to Ohba and Obata. I also do not own Death Note Another Note: The LABB Murder Cases.

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The Church is Burning

The city of Winchester was barely recovering from the state of shock that had rocked it. As the bells of the Winchester Cathedral tolled the midnight hour, an explosion swept through the narrow passage ways of the city. Flames leapt up from the windows of the church, the heat felt as far away as the next block. The flames licked the sky, as they hungrily devoured the church. The beautiful stained glassed windows were blasted from the walls, and the stained glass littered the ground, reflecting the flames. Citizens clogged up the streets, as they witnessed what was to be the last in the series of bombings by the Mad Bomber of Winchester. Many would begin to whisper to those around them, as each believed the worst was over, that the nightmare had come to an end. It had been forty days since the previous bombing, and who could blame them for their fear and confusion. After all, The Mad Bomber was dead, had died forty days before the last bomb he set went off.

What the Hell am I doing?! Seriously, didn't I try this tone before…It didn't work for the LA BB Murder Case; it isn't going to work here. I'm bored all ready. Who cares what the flames looked like, or what the people thought? There's only one thing that matters here…that son of a bitch blew up a church!

I'm going to assume here that you have read my notes on the LA BB Murder Case, and if you didn't, what are you reading this for. As you might have guessed, though I did not, I have found the time to write down another of the stories the greatest detective the world has ever known, L, related to me.

This is the story of the Winchester Mad Bombings, and I must confess, I am hoping that that self proclaimed god, Kira, happens across these notes. While I do not claim to know whether or not the Mad Bomber, seriously this is the best name for this mental case unless you want to go with my name for him…the heathen from the ninth circle of Hell, wanted to be God or not, but he definitely had a problem with the Almighty. How do I know this you ask, it's simple.

This Mad Bomber, this scum of life, blew up a church! Not just one church, but two! As I write these notes, I am conflicted. Should I despise Kira for wanting to become a god, or this being that blew up churches? Which committed the greater sin, not that I am one for judging others people's sins, but I have never thought of myself as a god, nor have I even so much as entered a church with anything but the purest of intentions.

Do not misunderstand me; I can understand the working minds of a criminal. I can understand what drives individuals to commit crimes, and how far from the path one can wander. I have committed my own sins, I have engaged in criminal activities, and I have suffered great losses.

Enough about that. This is not my own personal story, but the story of the case that made the world recognize L.

L

Even the century's greatest detective had to have that one case that propelled him to stature, and this was the case. The Winchester Mad Bombings, occurring from February 28, 1990 to May 24, 1990. These dates may have little meaning to those that do not understand the importance, but I do. February 28, 1990 was Ash Wednesday and May 24, 1990 was the day of Ascension, and during this period of 96 days, the Mad Bomber set bombs on only six days, the most important days of the Easter season.

This is why I do believe that the Mad Bomber had a problem with the Almighty. The difficulty of the case, the days of worship, and the short period of time between the second, third, fourth and fifth bombings left little time to search for the next location, let alone find the culprit.

This was a challenge, and only a challenge that L could meet. Located in Winchester, Whammy's House, the orphanage that L and those of us who know about its true intentions grew up, was but a stone's throw from these activities. This criminal brought his crime to L's backyard, and L was not going to let him get away with it.

No, that's not right. That sounds more like something I would say, not something that L would say. I am not even sure if L was at Whammy's House when the bombings started, as he could have been working another case in another location. What is certain is that L became involved in this case, and that this case is when the world took notice of his existence.

I honestly do not know who is going to read these notes. Perhaps K will gather them together when Kira is taking care of, or I might just keep them with me. I am writing them more to stave off the boredom of being stuck in this room; acting on K's behave to the Task Force L originally started. Yes, that same Task Force that Light Yagami is heading.

Light Yagami. Kira. No, Kira does not deserve a place in this tale. This story is about L's beginning, not his end, and I will not belittle it with words of Kira.

Kira.

May he rot in Hell.

I write these notes for my own reasons, and I doubt anyone else will ever read them. Since Near died, I refuse to speak ill of the dead, he will not be reading this. Perhaps I could have done something different, something more. I truly hoped that my sacrifice would help Near to catch Kira, but there seems to be something that was missed. As angry as I was with Near, for constantly beating me and always being number one, I did not wish his death. I even tried to prevent it. Near was to soft-hearted, and he did not test the notebook. I could see the problem, see how Kira would use that to his advantage, and I tried to take that away from him.

I failed.

Worse, in my failure, both Near and Matt lost their lives.

If I sit here thinking about these events, I shall go mad. So on with the tale of the Winchester Mad Bombings. We shall start this tale at the beginning, on that cold winter day in February.

In case these notes do fall into hands that may not know who I am, allow me to introduce myself, yet again. I was second in line to succeed L, and I took that position seriously. I am the only surviving member of the fourth generation that is currently working on the Kira case, though now I do so from the shadows and under the direction of one from the first generation. I am still the best dresser, though that hardly matters anymore. I am Mihael Keehl, but you may address me as Mello.

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A/N This story can stand alone, but it does impact the plot of 3rd Arc. Also, since this story does tie into that one, Mello is alive, while Near and Matt are dead. If you're reading 3rd Arc, just remember what Mello is doing during this period in time, and what he knows.

Yes, I am planning one for the other tale too, but it might take a week before I can get it up. Depends how many chapters I can get written, but I am halfway through with this tale, this one is going to be shorter than that one I think, so I'll see how soon I can get it up.