Before he could put in the last piece to the puzzle his hand shook and it fell from his grasp. Near was feeling sick, dizzy. He tried to stand but choked, his face turning blue. His hand went up to clutch his chest as he desperately tried to breath. His eyes rolled up into his head. One last time Near choked and then he collapsed. After twitching a few times his body went still. A few kids screamed at Nears still body. A few others ran to get someone and some just stood and stared. None of them could have known that the cause of the boy's death was almost half-way around the world.

Light sat and stared at the name he had just written. Nate River. His hand shook as he thought about how he had died in that warehouse. Was killing his opponent really going to change his future? Should he even be going down the same path? Nate River. Near…

Light slammed the notebook and squeezed his eyes shut. The name would haunt him. And what of L? Mello? How would he kill them? He knew Mello's name, his true name. Should he kill him now to? Or would there just be more successors to fill the void? Should he even have killed Near? Light shook his head. There were too many questions for him to answer. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of second chance this was and why it had been given to him. He remembered all of his plans and ambitions but waking up now… they were gone. To rid the world of evil was a frivolous task. Pointless. In the beginning Light had only wanted peace and justice but seeing the effects of his rule he wasn't quite sure if it was worth it.

Nate River. Near…

"Mello, come with me." A strict voice called across the yard. "Now."

Mello stopped chasing Matt and headed towards the voice, wondering what he had done this time. Matt noticed Mello leaving and hurried to catch up to him. Both boys were ushered into the house and led to the main office in Wammy's. L himself was sitting in at the desk. Mello thought his eyes looked bloodshot and his hair more messy than normal but couldn't be sure.

"L?" Mello asked in surprise. "What?"

"Mello did you do anything to Near in these past weeks?" L asked, getting down to business. He sounded tired and haunted. More serious than Mello had ever heard him

"No." Mello responded in irritation. Why did everything always have to be about that bigheaded twerp?

"Is there any way you can explain this?" L pulled aside a white sheet that had been lying across a couch to reveal Nears still body. Mello opened his mouth to protest then realized what he was staring at. Mello inhaled sharply and moved closer.

"Near?" He whispered, nudging his hand. The skin was dead, cold against Mello's warm hand.

"He's dead." L filled the silence, his voice cracking slightly. "He died of a heart attack this morning."

"You think I did this?" Mello continued to stare at Nears calm face. "You think I'd kill him?!"

"You two have always been rivals. No one is sure of the lengths you'd go." L sighed. "Mello I don't want to believe that you'd do this. I also don't want to believe that Kira may have found out about Wammys."

"No, no…" Mello whispered, anger draining. "I didn't… I wouldn't really… I never truly wished he were dead."

L just gave another ragged sigh. He didn't even have any sweets today. For once his appetite was simply gone. He was worried about his battle with Kira. Never before, in any of his cases, had anyone struck this personal of a blow. Near had been more to him than just a successor, he had almost been like a son.

"Mello." L finally said. "I think you know what this means."

Mello felt a trill of excitement at those words. I need to go rub this in Nears face! He thought happily but then remembered. His elated feelings crashed.

"I didn't want to beat you like this." He whispered to the body, as if it made a difference. Mello had spent his whole life chasing after Near and his absence left a surprisingly large void. He regretted what had happened between them. All's he could think of were times that Near had given away secrets about his past or the rare occasion they got along, if only for an instant…

Matt watched Mello's smile fade as he looked over Near and knew how he felt. Matt had never really minded Near. They had been friends at one point. Matt remembered how Near would give him a rare smile when he solved a particularly hard puzzle and how Near had given him one of his only plush robots because he was happy to have someone to play with. That had been a long time ago. Matt still had the toy but Near had probably thought he threw it away.

L watched Matt and Mello deep in their own versions of grief. He felt their regret was almost as strong as his. L felt he had failed the young boy by allowing Kira to kill him. In that moment L vowed to catch Kira, no matter the cost. Near, he asked solemnly to himself,who would you have become?

Just then the door opened, breaking into everyone's thoughts. A 15 year old stood in the door. She wore short black jean shorts and a grey long-sleeved shirt stamped with a green maple leaf. Her white-blond hair was braided into a crown and stood out against her startlingly dark eyes.

"L, you called?" She asked, not even looking at anyone else.

"Yes." He replied without looking at her. "You are Nears replacement."

"Replacement?" She sounded confused. "Why would Near need a… oh, god."

Mello could hear the despair in her voice as she registered Near's still form. She dropped down next to the couch he was lying on and picked up his hand.

"What happened?" She sounded numb.

"He died of a heart attack this morning." L explained again and the sorrow in his voice this time was clear.

"Oh..." She gave a bitter smile. "I guess I win that bet, huh? Clearly, you didn't hate losing enough not to die."

"Jinx..." L stood, shaking his head. "I'm sorry." That's when Mello remembered where he had seen her before. She was J, Jinx, the fourth highest in Wammys. Well, the third now.