A/N: Welcome to my first Death Note story! I hope you enjoy it.

I'm bending the timeline a little here. In canon, Mello and Matt were only about twelve when B became a serial killer, but I'm making them a few years older. Near is sixteen and Matt is seventeen. Also, this takes place six months after B's arrest.

Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, L, Mello, Matt, and B would never have died - but they also wouldn't have existed in the first place, because I could never create such amazing characters. I'm merely playing with them.

The Follower's War

Chapter One

"…A warehouse in North Las Vegas exploded at about two thirty this morning. Seven men were killed in the blast. All are known criminals believed to be connected to the mafia. Traces of high grade explosives were found at the scene. The police are still investigating, but say that so far they have no leads…"

"A man was found dead in a motel room in Enterprise…"

"Two of Las Vegas's most notorious drug dealers were both killed last night. Both have been wanted by the police for several years. One, Gabriel Carussa, was wanted for two murders in Las Vegas. Police say he headed a marijuana smuggling operation between Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas for three years before forensic evidence connected him to the murders of five rival gang members, and he fled to Vegas, where he killed two men last month. He was shot this morning at a house in Spring Valley. Police found thousands of dollars worth of drugs inside. The other man, Christopher DiNardo, was Carussa's biggest rival in the Las Vegas drug trade. DiNardo was a known member of the mob, and was found dead in his house on the north shore of Lake Mead. His security system wasn't triggered, and there were no signs of a struggle. All evidence points to poison…"

"…Police say the bank robbery was done by professionals… The cameras stopped working exactly twenty seconds before the robbers entered and came back on twenty seconds after they exited. None of the people in the bank could give a clear description of the perpetrators, who got away with over fifteen thousand dollars…"

Matt sighed, listening to the swirl of voices. All four videos were playing on different televisions set up in a semi-circle. Different reporters, different locations, different dates. The oldest, the report about the explosion, was from almost six months ago; the newest, the bank robbery, had taken place just yesterday. And according to L, all of these crimes were connected somehow.

"So far, we only have one image of the suspect," said the detective, who was crouching in an armchair next to Matt's own, biting his thumb as he stared at the televisions. Near sat on the floor in front of them, surrounded by toy robots.

L picked up a TV remote and quickly pressed several buttons. Three of the televisions went black. The fourth paused, and then a new video began to roll. The footage was black and white, and very blurry. A recording from a cheap surveillance camera, Matt guessed. The image was of an ordinary looking street. People of all ages and sizes walked up and down the rather crowded sidewalk. L pressed more buttons, zooming in on two people making their way through the throng, their backs to the camera. The taller of the two was wearing baggy jeans and a black shirt. He was thin and lanky, and would have been tall if it wasn't for his pronounced slouch.

B.

Matt knew that if the man turned around, they'd see he had the same large, dark eyes as L, ringed with identical dark circles. The only difference was that L's eyes were dark gray, whereas B's were a deep, bloody red. That was really the only physical distinction between the world's greatest detective and his murderous former heir. Otherwise, they easy could have passed as twins - similar faces, the same wild black hair and pale skin, hell, even the same posture…

But right now, B wasn't the problem. He was serving a life sentence in California's most heavily fortified maximum security prison. It was the slender figure walking beside him in the video that they were here to investigate.

Matt pushed his goggles up onto his forehead to get a better look, but there wasn't really much to see. The awful video quality made it impossible to make out any distinguishing features; plus, both of them were still walking away from the camera. B's companion had a bob of light-colored hair, and was dressed in a leather jacket and what looked like leather pants as well.

The top of the blonde's head came up to the serial killer's shoulder. That, combined with the tight outfit, surely meant…

"A girl?"

"I believe so, yes," said L.

The two criminals walked off screen, and the video started again from the beginning. Matt stared. It was so weird... Who'd have thought B hung out with a blonde chick who dressed in leather?

L paused the video. "I've tracked down several of B's associates from his time in Los Angeles and had them interrogated," he explained. "I didn't suspect he had an accomplice until many of them mentioned spotting him with a blonde teenager. They could only give vague descriptions, having seen the teen from a distance. Since B's arrest, a person matching the same description has surfaced in the criminal underworld of Las Vegas."

"You mentioned earlier that B intended her to be an heir of some sort. Is she meant to be a criminal version of Matt and I?" said Near shrewdly, twirling a lock of his curly white hair as he looked up at L.

Their mentor nodded. "He most likely trained this girl to 'compete' against the two of you in some way - which is why I decided this would be an appropriate first case for you."

"So, it's like a test? You want to see if we can catch her, like you caught B?" Matt wasn't sure what to make of that idea.

L smiled. "Not a test, per se. There will be no grades or competition. This is just a practice case, a chance to gain experience. Watari has kept me updated on your studies and the progress you've made, and I think you're both ready to start taking on real cases rather than just learning from textbooks."

Near nodded once, picking up a robot. Feeling awkward, Matt stared at the TV screen to avoid looking at his companions.

He didn't belong here. He'd never wanted to become a detective. Never. Wammy's House was nice enough, for an orphanage, but Matt just wasn't interested in the other students' dog eat dog battle for rank. How he came to be second, when he hardly paid attention in class and never studied, was a mystery even to the redhead himself. Heck, he forgot to turn in his homework half the time. But when they took tests, the lessons he'd half listened to seemed to flood back, and the answers came easily. He'd rush through the exams and usually be the first one finished, eager to get back to his room and his video games as quickly as possible.

The whole purpose of Wammy's was to find and train L's successor. Technically, anyone in the top five was considered a candidate for the position, but in the end, it all came down to who was in first place.

And that was Near.

So why had L brought Matt to America too?

He was second. Just second. Nothing special - and he liked it that way. He'd never hidden the fact that he had no desire for L's title. It was well known at Wammy's, and he was sure Roger or Watari had told L. So what was the point of bringing Matt to Vegas with Near and continuing his detective training? Why not just train Near?

"Will you be assisting us with the investigation?" the younger boy asked their mentor.

L shook his head. "I'll let the two of you work it out, unless you get stuck. You're only discovering the suspect's identity and not apprehending her yourselves, so there will be no danger. I realize that as far as first cases go, this is a difficult one, but I'm confident you can handle it. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning for a case in San Francisco, but if you need my assistance at any time, do not hesitate to call. Watari and I can return here in less than two hours."

Matt blinked.

L was leaving them alone in Vegas?

Of course, when he thought about it, it really wasn't so surprising. Most teenagers might be tempted to sneak into nightclubs or casinos, but obviously L knew that he and Near wouldn't. Matt didn't give a damn about those sorts of places - he'd snuck out to clubs in London before and found them rather boring - and Near… well, the idea of Near in a bar was simply hilarious. And there was no way he could pass for legal age anyway. The albino had turned sixteen a month ago, but he still looked twelve. Matt, at seventeen, could almost pass for twenty-one. Or he liked to think so, anyway. He even had a fake ID.

"The two of you will be remaining at this hotel. This suite and the one directly across the hall have been reserved for you for the next two weeks. That can be extended if need be. Any food you need can be ordered from room service, and I will also be leaving a thousand dollars in cash for each of you in case of emergencies."

A thousand?

The redhead briefly pictured all the games he could buy with that, then quickly shoved the thought away. It was a nice daydream, to imagine himself walking into a game store with a handful of hundred dollar bills, but he wouldn't stab L in the back like that.

Matt turned when the hotel room door opened, while Near kept playing with his robots and L continued staring at the surveillance footage. Watari stepped inside, closing the door behind him with his foot, as his hands were busy holding a dessert tray. It was piled high with sweets: A large bowl of strawberry ice cream, a bottle of chocolate syrup, a plate of cookies, a pot of tea, and a mountain of sugar cubes.

"You've made the arrangements?" asked L, immediately reaching for a fork as Watari set down the tray in front of him.

The old man nodded. "Yes, everything is ready for tomorrow. We're leaving at seven." He smiled kindly at the two detectives-in-training. "You must be jetlagged. L, if you're done, don't you think it's time they got some rest? It's almost midnight."

"Yes. Near-kun, you may go," L picked up his fork and turned his large, dark eyes on Matt. "I would like to speak with you for a moment."

Near nodded and gathered up his toys, following Watari out of the room. Matt shifted uncomfortably as the door shut. He'd never been alone with L before.

"You seem to have doubts about this case," the man remarked, shoving a large forkful of cake in his mouth.

For a moment, Matt hesitated. "Not about the case, exactly," he said carefully. "It's just… I don't understand why I'm here. Near's in first place, and everyone knows I don't want to be a detective -"

"Matt-kun," L actually looked kind of amused. "It's true that I'm aware you have no intention of competing against Near for my position. It's also true that your hacking abilities are unparalleled, that you have good judgment, and that although you're rather antisocial, you still possess basic social skills, which Near and I do not. Roger has often lamented that if you paid as much attention to schoolwork as you do to gaming, you could probably surpass Near."

"But I don't want to surpass Near," said Matt.

"I know, and I will not force you to try. But you wanted to know why I chose to have you brought here. Those are my reasons." L took another bite of cake, chewed, swallowed, then said frankly, "This case is extremely important. It's possible Beyond told the girl about Wammy's House, which puts everyone connected to it in danger. There's no evidence that she assisted him with his murders, but the two of them were obviously in contact, and I suspect they may have committed crimes together which we don't yet know about. In the six months since his imprisonment, she's been busy - the ten murders, the bank robbery… I think they were all done to reach a goal. What that goal is, I don't yet know, but we need to apprehend her before she succeeds."

Matt frowned. "If it's so important, why leave it up to a couple of amateurs like Near and me? You could've handled it yourself and given us the San Francisco case."

"I could have," L agreed. "In fact, most people would probably say that would've been the smarter choice. But it seems appropriate somehow to let the two of you solve it. B took this girl under his wing as a direct parody of myself and my heirs. It was a challenge."

"A challenge to Near and I. Like you said earlier, he wanted us to compete with her, the same way he competed against you. It's like a game to them. Level one was him against you, and now level two is us against her. She's the final boss."

L smiled a little. "I see you were paying attention in your psychology classes."

He took another bite of cake, apparently not noticing Matt's slightly confused look. Was that sarcasm? Or was he serious?

"When the case is complete, I expect a full report from both of you. A copy will be submitted to the police. No doubt she will end up in prison for life alongside Beyond," said the detective, words muffled by the dessert.

Matt wanted to ask how he could be so sure they'd be able to solve the case. After all, if this chick was trained by B, she had to be good. Scary good. Sure, L had caught B, but Matt and Near weren't L. They'd done practice cases at the House, but never anything close to this scale before.

What if they lost?

Sensing Matt's unease, L looked at his dessert tray thoughtfully for a moment. Then he picked up a cookie with his thumb and forefinger and held it out to the redhead.

"Cookie?"

A/N: I can totally picture L offering Matt a cookie. It would be so cute! And yes, the blonde 'girl' is Mello.

I wanted to make this chapter longer, but in about six hours, my parents and I are leaving for a two week road trip to Las Vegas (from Texas) and I really need to get some sleep first. I'm going to be working on this story during the trip, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to upload anything, which is why I wanted to post this now.

Thank you so much for reading! What do you think so far?