(I don't own Death Note)

A/N: Some things are different from the manga. just bear with me. Also, italics are flashbacks. I include quite a few references (although I change some things) to the movie L: Change the WorLd, so it might be confusing if you haven't seen that, but I explain at the end.


~Chapter Two~


They left early the next morning. Mello could be heard all the way down the hallway, yelling at Matt to get out of bed.

"Get your lazy ass up! Right now! No, not just ten more minutes, now!" Although he sounded genuinely angry, Near could tell that he was merely frustrated. He was usually like that with Matt, which sort of irritated Near. Not that he hated either of them. Matt was probably the closest thing to a friend he'd ever had, and Mello... well, he actually didn't mind Mello either. Mello just hated him so much that they had never really had a very civil conversation. He couldn't understand what Mello was always so angry about. There wasn't really anything to be angry about, as far as Near could tell. He could understand being irritated; stupid people were constantly getting on his own nerves, but he didn't actually hate them- just held them in very high contempt. He almost found himself wishing that Mello would just relax for once, and not be so hostile towards him. No, he didn't care that much...

"You ready, Near?" He hadn't even heard his assistant, Gevanni, walking up behind him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Yes." He nodded once, and the older man assisted him with his luggage. He didn't really have much to bring with him; he had twenty or so decks of tarot cards, ten sets of dominoes, a set of wooden blocks, quite a few dice, and three or four unassembled airplane model kits. Oh, and clothes. Yeah, he had those too. Four identical pairs of white pajamas, and, upon Gevanni's insistence, a formal suit, "just in case." Near didn't foresee any situation where he would be required to wear the atrocity, but complied to pacify the man. He felt a little better, now that he knew that Gevanni would be accompanying them. As one of his personal assistants, Gevanni knew him better than anyone, and could usually tell what he wanted without him needing to say anything. He was much better at dealing with others than Near was, and he could usually prevent Mello from blowing up on Near. When he was around, that is. Gevanni himself was a very busy individual. Although he worked primarily for Near, he was often involved in investigating other cases; his intelligence as well as many talents made him a very valuable asset to any investigation. As they approached the private jet, Near unconsciously moved so that he was slightly behind Gevanni, keeping him between Mello and himself. Gevanni noticed this subtle act, more than happy to accommodate Near. Although the boy seemed so much younger than the two, he was the same age as his other two companions, and (although he couldn't ever act on his feelings) Gevanni was rather taken with him. It was totally inappropriate, though, and completely unprofessional. Besides, Near had never shown even the slightest interest in either gender. Gevanni understood this, and although he wanted more, he was content to keep the relationship platonic, pleased to just be near him. As they passed Mello, who was running a hand through his blond hair impatiently, the boy stuck his foot in Near's path, hooking his foot around Near's ankle. Near, not expecting this, pitched forward. Gevanni kept him from hitting the ground at the last moment, barely able to catch the boy's petite arm. Near's eyes widened in surprise and alarm at the sudden contact. He didn't like to be touched! He had to force himself to not rip his arm out of the man's grip; he'd only been trying to help, after all. Noticing Near's discomfort, he Gevanni released him as soon as he'd caught his balance. Matt was glaring disapprovingly at Mello, who was feigning innocence.

"Mello, it's not even five in the morning," Gevanni reprimanded him. Mello shrugged.

"Tell me about it. I had to get this lazy fuck outta bed."

"Hey!" Matt shoved Mello, probably a little harder than was strictly necessary.

"Mello..." Gevanni shook his head in exasperation. That boy would never change. "Alright, it's time to board the plane." They followed him onto the private Wammy's jet, Mello stretching himself out comfortably across two seats and pulling Matt roughly onto his lap. Matt struggled half-heartedly, muttering under his breath. "Mello... no," Gevanni warned. Mello raised his eyebrow at him, smirking. Everyone remembered the last time Matt and Mello had been allowed on the jet... the cleaning crew had been less than pleased.

"Hey!" Matt protested as Mello slid a hand up his shirt, but finally stopped struggling, allowing Mello to wrap his arms around his waist.

"See? It's so much better for everyone when you don't struggle... I'd have thought you'd have learned that by now..." Mello whispered loudly so that everyone could hear him. Near was staring intently out the window, as if the dark sky were the most fascinating thing in the world. Gevanni was just shaking his head, and Matt, now red-faced, had crossed his arms in front of his chest, pouting and trying to ignore all of Mello's less-than-subtle sexual innuendos. Basically, things were progressing as usual. Near wished they would shut up. This conversation was making him very self-conscious, and he had no desire whatsoever to be thinking about Matt and Mello's sex life.

"Are you alright?" He glanced at Gevanni in surprise as the man sat beside him, fastening his seatbelt while the flight attendant fought with Mello, trying to get him to do the same. Near nodded once, turning his attention back to the window. He wasn't too fond of flying, although he was aware that it was reasonably safe. Heights made him feel slightly nauseas, which was just one more thing for Mello to tease him mercilessly about. Of course, Near knew about Mello's only phobia, his fear of deep water, but he never mentioned it, out of fear for his life. He started slightly as the propeller outside the window came to life, the engines roaring loudly. He clutched the armrest tightly as the plane began to taxi down the runway, his knuckles losing color as it slowed at the end, in that final stretch before it really picked up speed. That was almost the worst part- the anticipation, where you knew what was coming, that any second, the plane would go barreling down the runway and into the air. Those few moments of just... waiting, before anything actually happened- those few seconds of helplessness. He stiffened even more as Gevanni offered his hand. What? "You don't like flying, right? You can hold onto me if you want. I won't touch you, so don't worry." He stared at the man for a moment, considering his offer, accepting a few seconds later as the plane lurched violently. Gevanni smiled discreetly even as Near's fingers dug painfully into his arm. He glanced at the boy, whose eyes were now clenched shut. He wanted to take him in his arms, comfort him and hold him, but he knew that Near would only be even more uncomfortable if he were to do something like that. So, he settled for allowing Near to clutch his arm. He had packed the boy's teddy bear in the carry-on, but had neglected to mention it. After the plane had stabilized in the air, Near released his death grip on Gevanni's arm, opening his eyes warily.

"Thank you," He muttered as he checked to make sure Mello wasn't trying to sneak up on him to scare him. "Ugh." He wished he hadn't looked; he didn't enjoy seeing Matt and Mello making out as if the world were about to end. Gevanni chuckled as he saw what had disgusted Near.

"Don't worry about Mello. I'll keep an eye out for him. Although I don't think he'll be bothering you, at least until we get there," the man promised. Near nodded once. Suddenly, the plane began shaking. Near's eyes widened, to at least twice their normal size as he instinctively clutched at Gevanni's shirt. He was sitting with his legs pulled up, although they were a little more to the side than normal; there wasn't quite enough room on theses seats for him to sit the way he preferred. This was another reason he hated flying; everything about it made him uneasy. Hesitantly, Gevanni put one hand on the boy's trembling back, rubbing it softly. Near was so focused on breathing that didn't even react to Gevanni's touch until they hit a particularly violent pocket of turbulence. At this, he buried his face in the man's chest. He didn't even think about the fact that he was touching another human being; the only thing on his mind right now was that one fateful day when he'd lost everything: and gained everything.

Up until that point, his life had been uneventful in the small, Thai village. Then, everyone started dying off. He didn't understand why he couldn't go out anymore. He didn't understand why his parents, his friends, and everyone else was dying... He was hiding in a nearby temple, where he felt safe, and was writing numbers on the wall- something that always helped to calm him and restore order- when a voice yelled to him.

"Boy!" He had looked at the man, and even at his young age, he had seen the fear and desperation in the man's face. He yelled at him to get out of the village- and then they saw the American bomber. It was leaving his village, and a few second later, the earth had shook. The man swore as he grabbed Near, taking him to his nearby truck. Near had seen his village- everything was in flames. He began crying, and the man had given him a necklace. "Don't cry, boy," He'd said kindly, "But this is what you have to do..." He'd then given him instructions: Find a phone, call a number, and say the codeword. He'd dropped Near off, telling him that he'd be okay. Near had watched as the man drove away, the helicopters in pursuit. He watched until they were out of sight, but he didn't miss the explosion. He knew the man was dead. That was when he'd decided that he would never feel anything for anyone ever again. He'd known the man for an hour, and he was mourning his loss... so he obeyed the directions, and had wound up with L. L had given him a shot of some sort of medicine- at the time, he hadn't liked the needle- and his toy robot when they got to Wammy's house. He'd watched the black-haired man, returning his intense stare as he gave him his name- "Near."

"Near."

"Near."

"Near!" He opened his eyes, confused and disoriented. He was still in the plane, clinging to Gevanni. Gevanni was looking at him intently, his eyes full of concern. He sat up quickly, taking in his surroundings and trying to regain his bearings. Matt and Mello had hardly moved since the last time he'd seen him, although Matt was no longer wearing his vest, and Mello's jacket was nowhere to be seen. "Near, what's wrong?" Gevanni whispered, the other two unable to hear him over the sound of the turbulence. The white-haired boy raised a hand to the blue-chip necklace that he still wore, then turned back to Gevanni, cowering against his chest without speaking. Gevanni was startled, but asked no more questions. Clearly, Near was very upset about something, and although he desperately wanted to know what was bothering him, he knew that inquiring would get him nowhere. He put his arm around the boy's frail shoulders, allowing him to crawl into his lap. He rested his chin on the top of Near's head, and within the next five minutes, Near's tense body relaxed as he fell into a peaceful sleep. Gevanni glared at the flight attendant as she walked towards them, her intent clear on her face, warning her not to disturb them. So they weren't buckled; neither were Mello and Matt, judging by the sounds issuing from their part of the plane. She rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up in exasperation as she turned back the way she had come. The poor girl obviously hadn't known what she was getting herself into when she signed up for the job.


A/N: Okay, thank you for reading, and I hope you liked it. sorry if it was confusing, but here, I'll explain.

SPOILER ALERT ~Explanation: the part about Near's origins comes from the film L: Change the WorLd. He's the only survivor of a Thai village that has been the target of a bio-terrorist attack. the people are infected with a deadly disease, ten times more infectious and deadly than Ebola. The man who finds him and gets him out of the village is named F, and he gives Near a necklace. The American bomber blows up the village and the helicopter pilot is ordered to destroy the truck that they're in so that there will be no witnesses. The number that F gives Near is L's number, and to make a long story short, F and the truck get blown up after he drops Near off (he stops the truck and surrenders as soon as Near is safe), L comes and intercepts a plane with one of the terrorists on it, gives them all the antidote to the disease, takes Near with him, Gives him a robot and a name. that's why Near always has his robot; it's the one that L gave him.

Sorry about that excessively long explanation... Hopefully, it makes sense. Gevanni isn't in the series very much at all, but he's constantly with Near, and he does play a pretty big role in catching that bastard Light (not that I'm bitter). I know I totally changed the whole ending of the Kira case, but for this fanfic, let's just pretend that they caught Light before all the good characters died. :P

Tell me what you think!

~alex~