Hey guys! ^^ Sorry this took so long to post... Once again I've had computer difficulties and my harddrive had to be replaced so's... everything I wrote was lost and I had to start over. I also don't have any way of typing this into a Word document on my computer at the moment, so I'll do it where I can. That's all the updates on Fire's life.

Well, I decided this would be a good chapter to intro some other chars who will prove important in this story, so I hope you enjoy. I'm quite pleased with how the Chapter turned out...

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, Linda, Near, Roger, Gevanni, or any of the SPK members (though I wish I did). I also do not own the ENGLISH language (yeah, hyperStatic, that's for you). I do, however, own the idea for this fic as well as Mr. LeCroix (though I will admit his appearance was influenced by my dance teacher).

Without further ado... Enjoy! ^^

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"Your pieces are exquisite, Ms. Davenport. Absolutely wonderful. Are they all for show?" Mr. LeCroix asked, nearly gushing once more.

"I suppose they could be," she responded, playing the part of the professional once more.

The two speakers were currently seated in an office over an art studio in the middle of the hustle and bustle of New York City. The art gallery was simple and for the moment most of the walls in its interior were blank. The upcoming exhibition and sale, however, would cause them soon to be filled with all kinds of artwork submitted and displayed by the talents which LeCroix had so chosen. The office, however, had quite a few pieces placed on the walls, perhaps gifts or purchases from previous artists who had worked with him. Other than these, however, the office was relatively empty except for the small desk and the chairs that were stationed at it, which betrayed that the bigger space had been a new purchase by the aspiring gallery owner.

Mr. LeCroix himself was a younger man, no older than his mid-thirties, if even that. His hair was cut rather short and was dyed to look a shade of silvery-white that only more painfully reminded Linda of what she was doing in New York in the first place. The glasses he wore had lenses in a semi-circular cut, which allowed chocolate brown eyes to peer out on the world over or through the lenses depending on his preference at the moment. Linda briefly wondered if the glasses were worn out of necessity or for the added artsy factor that they might give him among his peers. They might have contributed to the thought of him as an older gentleman, which she supposed was a good thing considering those he was trying to impress. It certainly gave him an air of maturity and knowledge, and it certainly fit in with the surroundings. Apart from this, he was tall even seated in his chair, with the wiry form of someone who did not see much physical activity but had the metabolism to keep them from gaining flab. The presence he gave off was warm and inviting, and Linda could only give thanks for that. There were far too many art critics and gallery owners in the world who appeared cold hearted and cruel. She was grateful that her choice seemed to have led her away from those for the time being.

"That would be wonderful. These should fetch a high price, and with you getting a considerable portion of the profit, they should be able to help you live quite comfortably for a while," he said, obviously still in the mode to rave about her paintings as well as give the encouragement that the paintings would indeed sell. Then again, that confidence might just be because he did not want her to leave and go elsewhere with her artwork.

"Yes, I suppose they would," she said, chuckling it off and ducking her head with a slight blush. She wasn't particularly embarrassed by the fact that he was complimenting her artwork. She was more embarrassed because the reason for their meeting was not because she really cared too much about the gallery and sale. The gallery and sale were only helpful devices in helping her be able to find Near. So, no matter how the paintings did, she would only truly be happy with her time in New York if she could get reacquainted with her long and seemingly lost friend… She pushed back a stray lock of her russet colored hair that had fallen into her eyes when she leaned forward and looked back up at the man.

"Anyhow, Miss Davenport, we will need to have all of the pieces you will be entering into the gallery here by a week from next Wednesday. If any are unsatisfactory, then we will let you know, though I highly doubt that will be the case. The gallery will open the following Monday and remain open at least through the week," Mr. LeCroix stated, cracking down on the business of the matter. She didn't doubt that if he had rescheduled anything for this meeting that he needed to be leaving soon. Which was fine with her, she would be ready for his gallery whenever he needed. As soon as her works were submitted, she could begin her true search in the States.

"That sounds quite reasonable, Mr. LeCroix. I will be ready by then most certainly," she responded, giving him a pleasant smile to further seal the deal. She had a feeling she'd be on her way soon.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, still bright and happy as ever. "Also, if you have any family or friends whom you would like to invite to the gallery, you are most welcome. It would be lovely to see the people who have no doubt aspired you to the great artist you are today," he added, smiling warmly. This caused a slight sigh to escape her lips.

"I'm afraid I do not have much of a family. I am an orphan, but I will certainly send invitations to those who would be likely to come," she responded, trying to give a slight smile. If only she felt that she could find Near in a week… if she could then she would invite him… But she highly doubted it. He was probably much too deep in cover and security for someone like her to be able to find him so quickly. That would be wishful thinking.

"Alright, Ms. Davenport, we shall see," he said, sighing in some form of sympathy for her sadness. "But that is all we have to discuss at the moment, and so I believe our meeting will come to an end," he said, nearly instantaneous in his jumping back into a rather cheery mood. She only wished she could be so quick to change emotions.

"Yes, Mr. LeCroix. Thank you for your time and I will see you again on Wednesday," she said, giving him one last grateful smile for the opportunity he was giving her. They shook hands, and once more she was on her way and off into the bustling streets of New York City. She would return back to the small hotel room that Wammy's was currently paying for, a gift from Roger who was grateful for all of her help with the younger children at Wammy's. There she would turn once more to her rudimentary skills as a hacker and information gather to try and find the whereabouts of the white haired young man who would not leave her mind…

-*-*-*-*-*-

"Gevanni, could you bring up the records of the Kira case dating back to a month before L's death?" a young man's voice, relatively emotionless in its delivery, requested.

"Yes, sir," the raven-haired man who must have been "Gevanni" responded with a nod before typing furiously on the keyboard in front of him to bring up the data requested of him. The data filled multiple screens at one time, but this did not seem to faze the person who had asked for it.

The white-haired young man was none other than the very Near that Linda was searching for. He looked no more than a child, but he was seventeen, just about the same age as the young woman who had travelled to New York to find him. He was unaware that Linda was here at the moment, as no one from Wammy's had been in contact with him in quite some time. He had occasional conversations with Roger, who was beginning to function in some role as an heir to Watari, but none of these had been any time recently. He had merely continued to plug on in the Kira case with the help of the three agents who remained in the SPK.

At that moment, the boy in question was sitting amidst numerous stacks of what appeared to be jewel CD cases. They were all stacked in towers, making an odd kind of city, or a monument to one, around him. It was almost as if he had built his own personal castle and barrier, a safety wall that made him more secure in the professional environment in which he was working. It seemed rather childish, for him to be sitting on the ground stacking cases when he was the greatest detective in the world, but the agents had learned not to question his odd habits.

He was reading through the data when there was a familiar beeping that emanated from the speakers hooked up to one of the monitors in the control room. The blonde man sitting at said monitor turned to face Near.

"Near, Roger is on the phone and wishes to speak with you. Can I put him through?" he asked, his tone showing the seriousness with which he performed his tasks.

"Yes, you may, Rester," he responded, not looking up from the case he was currently stacking to begin yet another tower of cases. There was another beeping noise as Rester put Roger through onto the speaker phone so Near could speak with him.

"Hello, Roger. What business did you wish to discuss?" Near asked, still stacking with little acknowledgement that he was carrying on a conversation with another life form.

"Hello, Near. I saw it fit to inform you that Linda is currently in New York. She has been accepted into an art gallery in the city. I felt that you would like to know that she was there, and will be for some time. We also entreat that you keep an eye out on he…"

"Roger, I'm sure that Linda can take care of herself. I will, however, keep an eye out for her. Thank you for the information," he responded, cutting off the end of Roger's statement.

"Thank you, Near. That is all," he said, the old man sounding relieved that Linda was in safe hands.

"You are welcome. Good bye, Roger," Near said and terminated the call.

"So, Linda is in New York..," he mused aloud, sounding at least vaguely amused by the information. A slight smile ghosted across his face in response, unnoticed to those who sat in the room.

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There ya go!!! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^^ I hope to have another one up soon, and I'll try to update at least once a week.

Please Rate and Review! The more I get the more likely I am to update! And thanks to all who have favorited/alerted/reviewed thus far, it really means a lot!

-Fire (The Munch)