AN: This was written as a birthdayfic for letsalldieforslash, who got a paper version of this, all covered in shiny sparkly stuff. Happy birthday once again, hopefully this makes up for the distinct lack of a proper present. :)

Warnings: None, but let's just slap it with the AU-sticker so I won't get burned alive (and drowned, and shot, and then fed to the sharks) for messing with the details of the events leading eventually to capturing Kira.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. I'm not making any money writing this.

No added sugar

Near sat quietly on the floor of the SPK head quarters. He began randomly picking up toys -domino pieces, toy soldiers and such- lying around him but then putting them back down again after just a few seconds. The few remaining members of the SPK were anxiously waiting for him to come up with a plan, or a lead, or some course of action. The tension in the room was lurking in the corners, the frustration rippling just under the ever-present mask of politeness.

Silently Near berated himself for lack of creativity. As the current L, he was expected to spin brilliant plans out of plain sugar for heaven's sake. Of course he wasn't even trying to be exactly like the previous L, but what if the man had had a valid point in eating literally tons of sugar in his life? Maybe sugar really was the key. But what should he do if that were the case? Ask Rester for sweets? Near shuddered at the mere thought of artificial flavours, colours and the general sweetness of it all. Hopefully extreme measures of the kind could be avoided for a while longer.

The odds were slightly against him on that, though. At the moment he felt like mentally hitting his head into a solid brick wall over and over again while trying to come up with a solution to his problem, sugar or no. The trouble was that for the plan Near had in mind they really needed Mello, Mello's connections and his too crazy for his own good attitude, but the blond was nowhere to be found. He seemed to have vanished into thin air, quite possibly for good this time.

Near was slightly worried of the impending doom of gummy bears that lay ahead. What if he overdosed himself with sugar? He had next to no previous experience with the substance, so the possibility of even a coma was certainly there. Near heaved a mighty sigh and started distractedly picking on a stray thread peeking from the seam of his pyjama bottoms.

Then he remembered something, a few distant words that tickled his brain. Most childhood memories suffered in accuracy or got twisted into something entirely different as time went on but some were remembered for much longer; this particular one had stayed in Near's mind for years. As he visited the memory once more, it was the vivid details that jumped to the front of his mind the easiest. He remembered the childish joy found in the freshly fallen snow and the warm light that shone from the tall windows of Wammy's. The impossibly vast sky had seemed almost suffocating that night and the faraway stars had sparkled like tiny diamonds on black velvet.

Bursts of laughter and urgent shouts filled the air as Matt, Mello and Near played in the snow, throwing snowballs at each other and dodging the ones that were hurled towards them. Near was the smallest of the three but tonight that wasn't important, as he had already proved to Matt and Mello. Mello had lost his hat as a result of one of Near's accurate shots and Matt had only moments ago squirmed and shrieked as a particularly well-aimed ball had landed in his neck, crumbled, and started to melt down his back. Near's cheeks were flushed, he couldn't stop smiling and the adrenaline coursing through his veins made every sensation sharper, clearer. He laughed at the colourfully cursing boys as they played in the snow, heedless of lost hats or soaked shirts. Near was having fun; for once he was actively doing stuff instead of just actively thinking about it.

Soon enough they were called inside, though, and the boys started reluctantly walking towards the house. Near walked a few steps behind Matt and Mello who were half heartedly bickering about which of them had won the snowball fight. With no conversation to distract him, Near let his thoughts wander and his pace slow down a bit. The ongoing prattle of the older boys and their snow-muffled footsteps was farther and farther ahead of him until Near could barely hear them anymore. Suddenly he stopped walking altogether and was struck by an inspiration. He turned slightly, closed his eyes and silently flopped down on the snowbank. The snow was so thick and soft that the small boy sunk completely inside the white bank with only his feet sticking out. Near opened his eyes and breathed in deeply, almost tasting the cool winter air in the back of his throat. He watched the puff of air swiftly vanish as his warm breath mingled with the night air. It was eerily quiet. If he concentrated, he could hear the snow crackling quietly next to his ear. He breathed again, and the snow crackled some more. The sky stretched above him like a seemingly endless blanket, both fascinating and somewhat unsettling at the same time. He was fairly certain that if he lay there long enough he could see the Earth turning by watching the stars make their way across the sky. The stars were mesmerising; bright and beautiful, twinkling merrily in contrast to the deep cold emptiness of the space surrounding them. The snow was soft and comfortable, though. He breathed again.

Then there were steps, coming closer and stopping beside him. Matt didn't say anything, didn't ask stupid questions but just stood there for a moment, silently looking at the night sky with Near. After a while Near held a hand up from inside the snow for Matt to take, and the other boy pulled him out easily.

"Thank you, Matty. I could've gotten lost in there, it was really deep, and the stars were really starting to distract me from breathing and such," Near said seriously, with the sort of naive confidence only small children can get away with.

"Stop using and such at the end of every sentence, will you?" Matt huffed irritably while wiping the snow from Near's shoulders and back. Near squeaked indignantly that he'd only used it once now and the rest of the day doesn't count, but Matt just carried on talking, ignoring the younger boy altogether.

"Besides, real people don't just disappear, least of all in snow banks. They may die, sure, but the disappeared ones can always be found." He grabbed Near's hand and tugged him towards the house. "So don't worry about stuff like that, okay? Now let's get changed, 'cause I for one need a dry shirt, no thanks to you. Mello's already in, he was a bit miffed about the hat. Nothing that can't be cured with a big mug of hot chocolate, though," Matt assured with a lopsided grin.

Near curled his toes in the cold wet shoes, made a disgusted face and quickly followed his friend inside.

Matt hadn't let go of his mitten-covered hand until they were back inside Wammy's. Near still remembered how warm the hand holding his had felt. How comfortable. And safe? Yes, he could probably trust Matt. More importantly, he could ask him a favour. What Near was most pleased about, however, was that the horrible images of brightly coloured jelly beans, roasted marshmallows and chocolate covered sugar cubes finally started to fade from his mind. Near looked sharply up from the finger puppets he had absent-mindedly been toying with.

"Rester!"

"Yes, Near?"

"Get me Matt. I need him to find someone for me."

"Certainly, sir."

That was one of the better things about Rester. Much like Matt, he didn't tend to ask any stupid questions. Near's hand rose up into his hair in a gesture perfected by years and years of vigorous practise, twirling the white locks around his finger as a plan started taking shape. Like watching the pieces of a huge puzzle coming together to form a complex picture, he could already see that the plan was going to work perfectly; Kira wouldn't even know what hit him. Near's lips curled upwards in a radiant smile. Apparently his brain didn't need the help of sweets to be brilliant.

Fin.