A/N: This is the second part of Revenge. So if you are reading this one.. please read Revenge first.

OH... and to the flamer who attempted to assassinate the first part... Before you decide to critique someone's work, make sure they want it. And if you are going to spout off 'facts', make sure that they are correct. Contrary to your belief, I happen to be an educated person. AND I do my research. You should try it sometime, it may help you not look like such an ignorant fool.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of Death Note, or its characters (though there are a few I would love to keep in a closet for my own amusement )
These wonderful creations belong to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
I only hope that someday I will create something half as interesting as theirs.

The Core Of The Matter

The ground was cold. Cold, hard and unforgiving underneath his knees. That single thought floated solitarily through his mind. A strange thought, considering.

Considering what he had just lost.

Four graves sat before him, two freshly dug. Single letters adorned the tops of the headstones. Looking up at the back of the old English mansion, he clenched his fist, allowing the feelings of sorrow and rage overwhelm him. Tears burned fiery paths down his face, unchecked as his anguish threatened to swallow him whole.

"You! You turned your back on us. You, who held our laughter, the days of our youth." He raised his fists and shook them at the quiet building, waiting almost for some response.

"You knew of our innocence, protected our dreams, saw our ambitions. How could you turn your back on your prodigies? How dare you remain silent when all but me are gone?" He screamed, collapsing on his face in the freshly overturned dirt. One hand outreached, clutching a rosary, the other, fingers lightly brushing the cover of a small black note book. His sobs resounded throughout the icy stillness, reminding him, on top of his sorrow, that winter was fast approaching.

"Does that help?" a curious voice asked.

"What?" he mumbled.

"Does this blaming and crying really help? You know, since we Shinigami are incapable of shedding tears, in sorrow or otherwise." The voice held a strange emotion. Something that sounded close to guilt. That fact struck to the core of the red head and he sat up, looking into the unfathomable red eyes of the death god who had been their ally during recent events. Events that turned out much differently than he had supposed.

"Did you know this would happen?" He asked, pinning the god with a stony gaze. Ever the comic, he expected a jokingly snide remark from the strange being. Instead, the god shook his head, looking down at the graves.

"No. Despite our powers, sadly we are unable to predict the future." He paused and cocked his hideous head. "However, I do believe that he did." Pointing a bony finger at the stone marked with an "N".

The red head followed his finger, eyes widened in surprise, and then understanding.

"He knew. But why?"

"Someone had to carry out the plan, and live to tell about it."

72 Hours earlier….

"By the way, do you have any apples?" The Shinigami asked, a cocky smile on his face, pulling back his thin lips, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Apples?" the white haired young man asked, scratching his head. "I suppose there may be something down in the kitchen. A few of the maids were kept on after all, in the event of any of our returns."

Fingering his goggles, now down around his neck, the red head stretched his legs. Itching for movement, something other than just standing around, he headed to the door.

"I'll go look." He volunteered.

"Red, if you please." The death god said with a hint of amusement in his voice. A short nod was the only response he got.

Mumbling under his breath like a spoiled child, he quickly climbed down the stairs, mentally reviewing the plans they had just made, wondering if the pact with this apple loving death god was such a good idea after all.

Combing each cupboard and then the containers on the counters for the red treat, he finally found one hidden in a basket of fruit on one of the kitchen counters. He picked it up, examining the spotless scarlet skin, perfect in shape. Figuring that should do, he turned to leave. A flash of white caught his eye and he turned back to an open cupboard door, perusing the contents held therein.

Delicately wrapped treats nestled in a basket captured his attention and he lifted the basket down almost lovingly. The sweets were marked with an "L". Picking one up, the red head slowly unwrapped it, picturing the dark hair and almost bulging eyes of the man these were meant for. A man who had been as much their brother as their mentor.

Almost unbidden, he drifted back in memory to the time when this kitchen, like the rest of the house, had been full of life and laughter. The midnight gatherings of the sweet eaters, his best friend included. The sneaking down before lunch to catch a glimpse at what the cook was preparing for their deserts. The boys and girls, all geniuses in their own right, coming up with the silliest of plans to steal a few extra cakes, usually at the bidding and prodding of their oldest resident genius.

Softly a smile graced his lips, and he sighed. He would give almost anything for those days again. Even the petty little rivalries and spats would be welcome right now. Instead, the ghost of his past merely floated away, leaving his alone in the cold dark room, holding an apple in one hand and a candy in the other. Gently, he laid the candy back amongst its companions and walked back upstairs. His only hope was that this plan would not be for nothing.

Upstairs, while his companion was looking for the red fruit down in the kitchen, the white headed man sighed, twirling his hair around his finger in a familiar fashion. His wild gray eyes looked around the room, then down to the book in his lap.

"Just to be clear, this plan of ours… well it is possibly the intent of the other party that we both make it out of this intact. I, however, know quite differently." He stated matter of fact.

The Shinigami held his arms out akimbo in a shrug. Curious, he looked above the man's head and attained the information he needed. Nodding finally, he replied with a simple "Yes."

"You have seen my lifespan. You know that he already knows my true name and will use it to obliterate me. I have analyzed all possible situations and have come to the conclusion that this is unavoidable, and though unfortunate, a sacrifice I am willing to make. My friend downstairs is unaware of this and I do not wish for him to know. So I am asking you to exercise the utmost discretion in what you disclose around him." He pinned the death god with an unusual glare, and receive a nod in return.

Hearing footsteps ascending the stairway, they fell into a contemplative silence. The red head entered the room and tossed a shiny apple to the entity sharing their space. Long skeletal fingers grabbed it and noisy eating smacks could soon be heard. The two humans gazed at each other, both silently counting the hours until they made their move.

Laughter.

That sweet sound of harmony. From the mouth of a maniac, it was something horrible to hear. And it was now filling the empty surveillance room. Bent almost in half, his auburn hair a skewed in an unusually unruly fashion, he commenced his crazy gut wrenching laughter. Everything was going just as he had planned, to his obvious immense delight.

The appointment with his yet unseen enemy was on track and soon he would have a face to go with the name. The name he had so meticulously attained. L's successor would soon be joining him in whatever after life he was currently in. And he, the god of the new world, Kira, would finally reign supreme. His eyes bled red, the color of the blood of the souls he had taken. The evil bloomed inside his heart, turning it black as it gave birth to another wave of mirth.

Four more days and it would be done.

The phone rang.

And all his plans came crashing down around him, as the last bit of his sanity died a quite death.

"Sir, it's Near." One of his insignificant flunkies said, peeking his head gingery into the room. His temperamental boss appeared to be in a better mood than usual and he sincerely hoped that this phone call wouldn't change that. There was something unholy about the young man, and it had become even more apparent with the passing of his father. The gentle man had somehow been able to keep a lid on his genius of a son's mood swings.

But with the event of his untimely death, his beloved son had gone from meditatively quite to surly. Something was off kilter about the young man. And speculation was beginning to run a rampage through their group. No one dared to state the obvious thoughts they all had, but in the darken corners, one whispered word on fearful lips could be heard.

"Kira."

He had been kept under surveillance at his own request, believing in his insanity that his actions would disprove the concerns he knew his team still had. Even with the death of his nemesis several years before, the seeds of doubt he had planted remained with some of his colleagues. Perhaps L knew that by his death, he would only be instilling those seeds deeper.

The man shook his head and left the young man to his phone call, hurrying to rejoin the group who was taping the conversation.

A sick smile crossed his full lips as the brunette hit the speaker button. He detested bothering with the hand set when he was talking the annoying young man on the other end. 'Soon. Soon Near, you will know the full power of Kira.' He thought, trying his best to keep the smile out of his voice.

When this charade had first begun, he had been so successful in keeping his inner demon in check. He found in recent months however, that this was becoming a much harder task. He couldn't wait until the last obstacle had been exterminated and he could proclaim himself publically as ruler of the new and better world.

"Hello, Near." he said stoically. Racking his brain, he trying to pinpoint a reason why the quiet man would be calling him. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Kira's killings had neither increased nor decreased in frequency. As far as he knew, everything was going according to the plans they had made. So, reclining back in his chair, he ran a hand through his hair and frowned.

"To what do I own this privilege? Have you found out anything more about Kira's identity?" he asked in a perfunctory manner.

"No. I was calling to inform you that we will be unable to attend the meeting on the day we previously agreed upon. Instead, I have decided that we shall meet earlier." Near replied, setting the wheels in motion. He listened on the line, waiting to hear the panic or hesitation in Light's voice.

Light was taken aback to say the least. His heart hammered in his chest, beating out the sounds of his impending doom. Where they on to him? Had they somehow figured out what he was planning to execute during their face to face? He quickly pushed those thoughts away. L might have been smart enough to stay one step ahead of him, but this boy, this fill in; he doubted Near would have the half the intuition or ingenuity his predecessor had.

Mentally, he shrugged his shoulders. Why should he be worried? Even L had failed to grasp his perfect plan until it was too late. Near would surely follow the same path, scheduled meeting of not. Taking a deep breath, he composed himself quickly in order to answer in an unshakeable voice, full of bored concern.

"Oh? Did something come up? Anything I can help with?" He asked nonchalantly. He heard Near sigh and smirked. He knew it frustrated his enemy when he acted innocent and concerned. His mind began calculating the next best possible meeting day, when Near spoke again, his voice holding a tone of resignation.

"No. It's nothing that requires your involvement. It has come to my attention that it would be impossible for us to make that particular date, nothing more needs to be said." Near paused, nodding to his companion who was listening silently in the background, like he had done so many times with his now dead friend and leader. The red head gave a thumbs up and shifted from his position on the wall, casting a look at the death god who seemed just as interested in their conversation. He, above them all, knew the foe they were engaging and could pick up on any subtleties his voice.

"We will be arriving there in Japan in the next few days and will then contact you with the details of the meeting time. The agreed upon place still stands, unless you have some objection to that?" He asked, delivering the telling blow.

Light's mouth ran dry and he shot forward in his seat. They were changing the day. They were taking control of that variable. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. His plan was crumbling as this conversation was carrying on. He scrambled, trying to figure out just how to rectify this new development. Having been in control of everything for so long, a glitch like this threw his already off balanced mind out of the acceptable orbits.

He took a few moments to examine the alternatives, if there were even any that he could use to spin the spiraling situation back into his control. Eyes darted back and forth, lighting here and there on insignificant objects, his mouth worked like a fish, attempting to form words. Nothing came out for several seconds. Finally, he realized he had to reply, before his adversary got suspicious from his lack of response.

"Yes, I see. There is no reason why we shouldn't still meet there. My team and I will be awaiting your call." He said calmly, and then ended the transmission. Leaning back once again, he stretched his arms above his head and closed his eyes, thinking reflectively.

Knowing the meeting place would remain the same gave him a few advantages. Perhaps this wouldn't be a complete loss. He chuckled silently. He was Kira, he would not fail, no matter what was thrown at him. And come that designated day, in that designated place, Near would die.