Nightmare
By Childhood Aspirations
Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, manga or anime, or its characters. I only pay homage to its brilliance.
"I'm almost fifteen; it's time I got to live my own life!"
"It's L. He's dead."
"What?! You're telling me that L is dead?!"
"…Anyone who can't solve the puzzle is a loser."
Near twisted a lock of pale hair around his index finger and then released it. Twist, and release. And again, and again, a never-ending cycle of action.
Why couldn't he sleep? Insomnia was hardly an uncommon occurrence, but usually the reason for it was more than obvious. Cause and effect. Action and reaction. Decision and consequence. That was the way the world worked. So why then did he remain awake tonight, a night when he would have expected to sleep?
Near decided to analyze the day as a means of figuring it out.
Fact: he had solved twenty puzzles today, and done half of them over again. …He would have to speak with Roger about getting some more challenging ones.
Fact: lunch had been some kind of nasty green paste that tasted worse than it smelled. One bite had driven him away.
Fact: Mello had thrown a hissy fit that afternoon, and Near hadn't seen the blond since.
Fact: …L was dead.
L is dead…
Near rubbed his bare toes together, still twining that lock of hair around his finger. He sat on the bed with his back against the wall, his pillow beneath him. The room was quiet and still. Moonlight streamed in through glass window panes.
"…Near's not like me at all… He never lets any emotions show…!"
…Maybe just this once. L is dead, after all…
Tears, tiny streams of liquid crystal, tracked their way down his emotionless face. Tears for L, for Mello, for himself… But Near never showed any emotion, so he couldn't really understand what the tears were for. He simply sat with his back against the wall, facing the silence of the room, and let the tears escape.
L is dead.
A/N- And another Death Note drabble. I wrote this and Heartbeat within 10 minutes of each other, after watching episode 25. -tear-sniff- Sadness... Anyway, hope it was good. I've only watched one episode with Near, so his character could be completely off, but I tried my best. Reviews will be accepted with much gratitude. -C.A.