Light POV

"Ryuuzaki, if we're not going to sleep, can I at least brush my teeth? Dental hygiene is vital!" I complained.

"Light-kun, I doubt that even a skilled mind such as your own can discover a method for brushing ones teeth while in the back seat of a cab without mouth-cleansing utensils."

"Aren't we going to stop? We need to change clothes! I've been wearing this outfit since yesterday! Look! My pants are wrinkled!"

"Light-kun, that is entirely unnecessary. Besides, we will be arriving at our destination shortly. Perhaps you will take this opportunity to cease your flow of meaningless questions that are highlighting your materialism and obsessive tendencies."

I pouted. Of course L would find my hygienic inquiries meaningless. The man hardly ever showers. And I'm fairly certain he's been wearing his clothes for longer than a day. I would know. I glared at my cuffed wrist. How did I end up in this situation? Is fighting for justice really worth being suspected for a psychopathic mass murderer and handcuffed to a filthy insomniac? Perhaps it would have been if said insomniac hadn't decided to drag me half way around the world for 'personal obligations.' He didn't even tell me why we were traveling! I wouldn't have even known our destination was England if it hadn't been announced on the plane.

To be honest, I was slightly surprised when I didn't find a private jet waiting for us. But as L explained without a hint of sarcasm, 'contrary to popular belief, Watari truly cannot be everywhere at once.' I deduced from this that normally Watari flies L across the world in a private jet, but on this occasion he is obligated to babysit the Task Force back in Japan. Seriously, what can't this man do? I was jolted from my thoughts as I felt a sharp tug on my wrist.

"You could have just asked me to get out," I grumbled. I was startled by our surroundings. I wasn't exactly sure how I expected our destination to appear, but I certainly hadn't expected to find a monstrously large, elegant, old English building nestled in a sea of rolling grass. What more, I didn't expect to see children frolicking through the fields. And even more, I noticed with slight alarm, were peering out of almost every window of the building. What kind of place was this? And how was L in any way related to kids?

I glanced over at L questioningly and nearly choked on air. He was so... open. His usually bleak and guarded eyes were wide, deep, and twinkling. The pure onyx coloring was breathtaking. And... was that water in his eyes? His entire face was alight and he was grinning. He looked so... blissful. Even his skin, which I had previously scoffed at for its pallid coloring was glowing. True, it was still pale, but now it appeared to be a brilliant, smooth ivory. He looked so innocent, so pure, and so... beautiful. I nearly choked once more. Alright! That's where I'm stopping that train of thought! L... beautiful? Psh! As if! Ha! My face felt strange. It was... warm? Was I blushing!? WHAT!?

L turned to me, his smile still in place, "Are you alright, Light-kun?" I nodded. "Good. Then we shall proceed."

L led me up to the obnoxiously large door and pressed the doorbell. A strange, static-y sound came from the doorbell, which I realized must be an intercom. L proceeded to tap rhythmically on the door. Morse Code, I realized. A small section of the doorframe mechanically rotated to reveal a pad of numbers, on which L proceeded to enter an incredibly long code. What's with all the security in this place? I had thought it was some kind of boarding school.

"Ryuuzaki?" I asked as the apparently mechanical door glided open. "Where are we?"

Near POV

Today was a special day- one of the few that was slightly more significant than any other bland day in my monotonous life. Today L was coming to visit. One of the few questions I ponder over in which I cannot surmise an answer is why does this man mean so very much to me.

Of course, I can theorize. The first thing that comes to mind is Mello. My eyes swept the floor, sifting through the toys and puzzles I have arranged in a circle around myself. Ah, there it is. I grabbed my Mello voodoo doll. So weak, so helpless as I clenched it in my fist. Perhaps I enjoy L's visits due to the fact that I can easily torment Mello on these occasions... not that I do not find successful methods of torturing my rival in L's absence. However, Mello's level of vulnerability exponentially increases with L's presence. I carefully reached for the bottle of acid I stole from my advanced collage level chemistry class. I gently squeezed the dropper and observed the clear liquid invade the small tube. You see, it has become clear to me that Mello not only idolizes, but may be slightly infatuated with our favorite detective. Therefore, the damage I inflict upon Mello will be multiple times more painful, if I can humiliate him in front of L. I lifted the dropper to hover tauntingly above mini-Mello's face. But in order to remain in L's good graces, I will have to appear harmless, innocent, and pure. I dislodged a single, clear drop from the dropper. And like acid, I will burn you, Mello. I watched with mild satisfaction as the acid ate away at Mello's face, slowly, painfully, until the remains were unrecognizable.

"Yes, Mello," I whispered to myself, "You will burn."

While my hatred of Mello accounts for much of my anticipation for L's arrival, there is one area in which this theory fails me. You see, my contentment with L's presence is not directly reliant on the possibilities of Mello's downfall. Even without the factor of Mello, L's presence is... intoxicating. When he's here... I just need to be in his general vicinity, need to calmly observe him, need to hear his gentle voice.

What more, two years ago when I completed my masters degree in psychology, I found one of the central themes was emotions. I cannot be certain, but I believe I may experience this phenomena when L is with me. Even Mello's most crushing defeats do not evoke such a response in me. It is because of this factor that I remain uncertain of the reason why L is such a relief to my dismal life.

I focussed once more on the abused doll in my hand. No, Mello's desecrated face no longer was of entertainment to me. I sighed and added the doll to my pile of dead toys.

Knock Knock

I padded over to the door.

"Good day, Near.," Roger greeted.

"Hello, Roger."

"L has arrived and has requested your presence in Recreation Room 3"

"Thank you, Roger."

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Near?"

"Not at the moment, Roger."

"Right then." Roger nodded and disappeared down the corridor. I found a small smile had appeared on my lips. He's finally here.