Chapter 1: Things Worth Protecting

[Third Person]

Kanako Koshiba was four when she decided Near was going to be her best friend. It didn't start out that way. She just thought he looked lonely.

Near was six and didn't have any use for things as trivial as "friends". And when he thought of people he might have been friends with, Kanako Koshiba was veeeery far down the list.

"Near?" she asked the six year old him. "What are you playing?"

"Chess." He replied, not looking up from the board.

Kanako peered over his shoulder.

"Who're you playing against?" she asked, curiously.

"Myself."

"How does that work?"

"I turn the board."

Kanako made a face.

"Is that fun?" she asked, doubtfully.

"I don't do it for fun," Near said, dismissively.

Kanako sat down next to Near. He paid no attention to her, simply continued to play his game of chess.

"Hey, Near?" she asked, finally.

"Hmm?"

"Are you ever lonely, all by yourself?"

Near looked up at her for the first time. He expected her to have an annoyed expression on her face, maybe even angry. What he did not expect was for her to look nervous.

She was sucking on the end of her reddish-brown pigtail. She had drawn her knees up to her chest, and was rocking back and forth.

"No," Near said, finally. "I don't get lonely."

She seemed to relax. She smiled at him. An adorable, genuine smile.

"Near," she said, "I'll be your best friend, okay? That way, you'll never have to be lonely."

Near gave her a quizzical look. This girl is quite odd, he thought. But this best friend idea…it's probably just a toddler's fancy.

"Sure," he said to her. "Whatever you want."

Nine years later, it was clear that it had definitely not been a toddler's fancy. No, Kanako had been completely serious.

A thirteen year old Kanako entered the SPK headquarters. She removed the red-brown wig she had been wearing, and took out her green contact lenses. Near turned to look at her.

"Welcome home," he greeted, from inside a tower made out of Jenga pieces.

"Thanks," Kanako replied, smiling. "Did all the other members leave?"

"Yeah. Oh…you dyed your hair again?"

Kanako fingered the bright orange strands.

"Yes," she said. "I felt that it was time for a change."

"Your brain will shut down from all the chemicals, one day," Near warned. "Anyway, what's the progress report?"

Kanako sat on the floor next to him.

"I followed Misa Amane to and from work every day," she said. "Nothing out of the ordinary happened."

"Okay."

Kanako looked at Near. He had dark circles under his eyes. It seemed like every piece of the tower he stacked took immense effort.

"Near," she said, gently, "How long have you been awake for?"

"Since 3 A.M., yesterday."

"Near, you need to sleep! I know you want to solve the Kira case, but don't you think the joy of solving it will be dampered a bit when we have to prop open your eyelids with toothpicks?"

"You sound so sure that it will be solved," he said, quietly.

"Of course it will! You're leading it!"

He smiled at her. In Kanako's world, Near had no faults.

"If L couldn't solve it, I doubt that I'll be able to," he said, sighing.

"Oh, don't be so negative," Kanako lectured. "And go to bed."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"You're like a mother," he commented.

"Well, I'm not able to do much else," she sighed.

Kanako had never considered herself a genius. Wammy's House did, and so did the IQ tests, but Kanako didn't think so. Maybe because she had hung out around Near, Mello, and Matt as a child. The stars of Wammy's House. Compared to them, she was not really all that brilliant.

Kanako's real talent was as an actress. Kanako noticed things that most people didn't, and was able to perfectly imitate them. She was also a makeup artist that rivaled Hollywood's top ones.

When Near had told her that he had been assigned the Kira case, she had been horrified. Because if Near had the case, that meant that L was…dead. And if Kira could kill a genius like L, that meant that Kira, too, was also a genius. And a deadly one, at that.

Kanako had begged Near to allow her to help.

"I'll do anything," she had pleaded. "But please…I can't just watch you go face danger on your own!"

"I don't know, Kana…" he had said, hesitantly.

"Then let me do it for L!" she had said. "Let me help avenge him!"

Eventually, Near had given in. Now, Kanako was masquerading as Darkmoon, a model for the same agency as Misa Amane. She was steadily gaining popularity, and was currently working on a CD.

It was tiring, but it was fine with her, as long as Near would be protected.

"Speaking of sleep," Near said, "You look like you're about to fall over from exaughstion."

"Meh," she said, nonchalantly.

"Kana," he said, sternly, "Go to sleep."

"Not until you do, she said, stubbornly.

Near shrugged, and continued to work on his Jenga tower. She yawned, and although she fought it, sleep washed over her.

Kanako awoke at 1:30 in the morning, to the sound of her cell phone. She was on the floor, a blanket on top of her. Darn, she thought, Near won this round, but next time…

She pulled out her phone, noticing that Near had fallen asleep in front of one of the computers.

"Hello?" she asked, in a hushed voice.

"Darkmoon?" a man's deep voice asked. The voice was unfamiliar to her. This unnerved her, because she never forgot people's voices. Never.

"Um…who is this?" she asked.

The man chuckled.

"Oh, I can't tell you that. But I can tell you this; I know who you are."

Kanako stopped breathing.

"I also know about your little friend," he continued. "Near, isn't it?"

Kanako's instinct was to throw the phone across the room, but she resisted.

"A…are you K-Kira?" she whispered, hoarsely.

"All in good time, all in good time, Darkmoon," he said.

He hung up.

The cell phone fell out of Kanako's limp hand. One sentence echoed in her head, unrelenting.

Protect Near…

Kanako frantically glanced around the room. I don't know what to do, she thought, desperately. I don't know!!!!

She felt lost, like a young child surrounded by adults. Her eyes fell on Near, sleeping. She walked up to him and put her arms around him.

"Hi," he said, sleepily.

Kanako jumped about ten feet in the air.

"Have you been awake this whole time?!" she demanded.

"No," Near said, calmly. "But who could sleep with someone hugging them?"

Kanako was about to point out that most people wouldn't notice, but changed her mind. Near definitely didn't fit under the category of "most people".

"Just out of curiosity," Near said, casually, "Why were you hugging me?"

Kanako's face turned red. I can't tell him, she thought, miserably. He'll just try to protect me, and end up getting hurt. So I can't tell him.

"Um…I don't really have a reason," she said, shrugging, and giving him a smile.

"Hmm," he said, scrutinizing her. "You know, you really are a terrible liar."

Kanako gaped at him.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "I'm your spy! All I do is lie!"

"Well, you're not very good at lying to me."

Kanako simply stared. He was good.

"Hello!"

Near and Kanako turned to the doorway. There stood Mello and Winter.

Winter was another girl from Wammy's House. She was slightly older that the rest of them and had (somehow) been the one who helped Mello get together with the Mafia. With her silvery hair, and gray sweatshirt with long gray skirt ensemble, Winter was one of the oddest girls you could ever meet.

"Mello! Winter!" Kanako cried out, excitedly. "What are you two doing here?"

"Ask. Winter." Mello said, through gritted teeth.

"Well…L.A. got boring," Winter explained. "And Kana's birthday is coming up so we thought that we would come and visit!"

"We didn't decide anything!" Mello argued.

"So you were in L.A.," Kanako said, interested. "What did you do there?"

"Were you working on the Kira case?" Near asked, innocently.

Mello's face turned red.

"That's none of your business, shorty!" he shouted, at Near.

"I'm not that short," Near said, pleasantly.

"You think you're so special just because you're number one? Well, how about I show you how special you are, you little twerp…"

Near drowned out the rest of Mello's ranting. He wasn't sure why Mello hated him. He honestly didn't care. It was just annoying.

"…and string you up by your toes!" Mello finished. "Are you listening to me, twerp?!"

"No," Near replied.

"GYAAHHHH!" Mello yelled, so loud, that the card tower that Near had been building fell over.

"Don't you love these get together?" Winter asked Kanako.

For now, the mysterious phone call was forgotten.

Hi. You can call me Mimi or Darkmoon. Yes, the same alias as Kanako. She's why I took that alias. I hope that you enjoy this first chapter. Anything confusing, or extremly odd, please blame on my lack of sleep or natural oddness. I appreciate any comments/criticizim that you have.