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Me: Hooray for sequels! ^^ Thanks to my reviewers, and also to my subscribers, who are diligently keeping up with the story!
Mello: Why couldn't you just leave us alone?
Matt: Yeah! My poor, poor gameboy... *sobs*
Mello: Gameboy? Are you kidding?! What about the poor reader! They have to work with friggin' Near! I'd say that even if we're dead, we're a hell of a lot better off than her!
Me: Aww, guys, you're so mean ;3;
Near: I'll have you know, I took very good care of the reader.
Mello: LAY THE HELL OFF HER!
Me: Green is not your color, Mello *smirk*
Mello: ....
Near: Misseh does not own Death Note or its characters!
B.B.: DID SOMEONE SAY JAM?!?!?!!?!?
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Act Two: Nightmares
When you walked in at 6 a.m. in the SPK headquarters on a Saturday, you could imagine the shock on Near's face…if he could express shock.
"Miss Harmony, what an unexpected surprise," Near said, rolling one of his toy cars on the floor. You sighed, rubbing your eyes with exhaustion.
"I couldn't sleep the entire night."
Right where you stood, you fell to your knees, curling into a ball on the floor. You yawned, looking around the room.
"Near…I think the nightmares are back…"
Near scooted over to where you lay, patting your back awkwardly. "I see…I thought the nightmares ended many months ago. Has the anniversary brought them back again?"
You shrugged, blinking slowly. "I t-think….I think I saw…." You couldn't finish your sentence before tears sprang up into your eyes.
Near sat silently, and you could tell he wasn't one for tears. He petted your hair, unsure of what else he could do. "You think you saw what?"
You sighed, wiping at the tears in your eyes. "I-I think I saw Matt……"
Near fell silent again, still petting your hair. "Um, you know Near, I'm not one of your stuffed animals…you can stop petting me now."
Near retracted his hand, but he still eyed you curiously. "These nightmares are reoccurring…they happen too often, if you ask me. Something is not right."
You sighed, sitting up straight again. "Yeah, I get it, I'm messed up in the head. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to use your desk as my bed for the next two hours."
Near groaned, twirling his hair in annoyance. "It wasn't made for that purpose, you know. If you like, I can offer you a ride home, since it's probably not safe to drive half-asleep."
You smiled, taking the offer. "Alright….thanks again, Near."
As you left the room to the limo that waited for you downstairs, Near sighed.
"Be careful, Miss Harmony. Something is not right…"
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The limo dropped you off promptly, and you thanked the driver for keeping you in his care. You walked up the steps to the third floor, heading to the hallway that held your room.
You only made it halfway through the halls before chaos struck.
The walls of the hallway were smeared with trails of red lines pointing towards your room. The door to your room was left wide open, and you entered cautiously, your hand hovering near your purse where you held your gun.
Upon entering the apartment, you dropped your bags immediately, shuddering in fear.
A small, red gameboy lay on the floor in front of one of the walls. There, on the wall, painted carelessly in some sort of red substance, was written:
Long time, no see, friend.
You fell to your knees, clutching fistfuls of your hair and curling in a fetal position. You screamed at the top of your lungs, wanting so desperately for someone to come.
I don't understand, you thought frantically. W-Why? What the hell does all this mean?!?
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When Near and his team finally arrived, you had been curled up in the stairwell for hours, waiting impatiently. Near knelt down next to you, poking you with a pencil.
"Miss Harmony, I thought that kneeling was my thing."
You managed a smile, but you sat completely still, fear still coursing through you. "N-Near, you know why I called you here."
Near reached out and grabbed your hand, tugging both of you to a standing position. "Yes, you called in quite a panic. Let's see the apartment now, shall we?"
You grasped onto the albino's arm tightly as you entered the apartment, still shaken by the writing on the wall. Near traced the curves of the writing with his eyes, and walked closely up to the wall, almost putting his face in it.
Then, using his finger, he smeared some of the red substance, and licked it off his fingers.
"N-Near! What if that's blood?! What the hell are you-?"
"Strawberry jam," he stated, interrupting your rant. "This is jam on the walls. Could it be…? No, he was caught years ago by L in Los Angeles….," Near mumbled to himself. He turned you, his face serious.
"Miss Harmony, you say you've been hallucinating people of your past, correct?"
You nodded slowly, though you didn't like being compared to a mental person.
Near twirled his hair, walking across the room in thought. "Now, Miss Harmony, have you ever thought that these were more than hallucinations?" Near said slowly. You furrowed your brow in confusion at his vague statement.
"Miss Harmony, it does sound like a strange conclusion, but ever since Kira, you should know better that anything is possible."
You nodded again, thinking of the possibility. But if it's not just a hallucination, then what is it?
Near walked over to you, pulling you by the arm out of the apartment.
"Miss Harmony, if you would come with me, there is something I would like you to see."
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Both you and Near had been driven by limo back to SPK headquarters, but you entered a part of the building you had never seen before. Thick, steel walls covered the area, and it seemed only Near had the keys to enter. The limo finally stopped, dropping you both of in front of what looked to be a giant safe.
Calmly, Near entered a pin code, and the huge safe door opened wide with a creak. Inside of the safe, it looked much like a bank's deposit box safe, with rows of boxes lining the walls. Using the key, Near opened the last box in the third row, pulling out what was inside.
"I believe you are familiar with what this is," Near said slowly. In his hands he held a sleek black book, shining in the light.
"T-That's the notebook…that Kira used to kill….," you said in disbelief. Near sighed, dangling the Death Note between his fingers. "Yes, just one of many, actually. If you would touch it, you would be able to see the shinigami."
Slowly, you placed your hand on the notebook, and twirled around to see the god of death that came as a sort of "packaged deal" with the notebook. Immediately you began to smile when you saw what awaited you.
"SIDOH!!" you squealed, running towards your old and creepy friend. You glomped the Shinigami, not caring about the strange stares from Near you attracted.
"I remember you, you're that mafia chick!" he stated obviously. "Where's the scary blonde?"
You fell silent, eyes glued to the floor. "H-He's not here right now…."
"Anyway," Near added quickly, changing the subject. "I have something to ask of you, Shinigami."
Sidoh yawned, barely interested. "Yeah, what do you need?" he said in his whiny voice.
"Shinigami, is it possible after a person is dead, to return to this world?"
Your head snapped in Near's direction, eyes wide. "Near, what are you saying?!"
Sidoh smirked. "Actually, in extremely rare circumstances…if the deceased's spirit is powerful enough, they can actually not cross over to the other side."
Your eyes widened, thoughts of realization streaming through your mind. Sidoh only watched you with a sharp grin.
"Tell me, do you believe in ghosts?"