Spoiler Alert: Since this takes place after the Kira case, you clearly shouldn't read it unless you've finished the manga/anime!
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of it's incredibly awesome characters! xD
The Kira case was over, but something still felt unresolved. Near picked up an old discarded chocolate wrapper and tossed it into the "for disposal" pile. It was starting to get too big, so he called for an SPK member to help remove it.
Near moved to a different side of the room now and started scavenging for more evidence. He could not miss a spot. Anything regarding the Kira case had to be taken care of. The pale boy pulled out a small trunk and had Gevanni unlock it for him. The insides consisted of several mechanical parts and various forged documents.
Among them, however, was a journal, fairly thick and slightly worn from use. Near opened it to the first page and recognized Mello's handwriting immediately. The work started with an article about B, the mastermind behind the notorious Los Angeles BB Murder Cases who had personally challenged and lost against the great L. It was something that everyone at the orphanage had known about to varying degrees. So, this little side project must have been Mello's last tribute to L.
Near read on.
"... I imagine that by the time anyone reads this, I will no longer be alive ..."
How right you were, Mello.
" … The person who will most likely read this first will probably be that big-headed twit Near ..."
Near smirked. He had not heard that insult from his rival in a long time. He flipped to the last filled page. It was definitely a finished piece of work. Perhaps Near could have it published as his last tribute to Mello, even if the latter had never intended for anyone to actually read it.
As Near picked up the journal by the corner and got up, he noticed a slip of paper fall out. It was Mello's photo, the same one that Near had held onto after the owner abandoned the orphanage. So Mello did not destroy it after all. He picked it up and turned the photo around, expecting to see the small greeting he had left for his rival prior to returning the picture.
On the back of the photo, in the center, there had once been the words, "Dear Mello." However, Mello's name was now crossed out. Instead, directly underneath it, scribbled in Mello's own handwriting, was a single letter, N.
So he had been waiting for him at the finish line after all ...