Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or Fatal Frame.
Authors Note 1: Alright, this is definitely going to contain spoilers for Death note, so I'm going to be refering to L by his real name, since it's a lot easier that calling hims 'the previous L' all the time. Though I'll probably call him L a lot too since I'm going to refer to Near as well…Near…and maybe Nate sometimes.
Authors Note 2: I just realized the ages for the characters in Death Note, I mean it's really hard to believe that Near is almost 20 at the time this fanfiction takes place, because he just seems really well…immature in looks. But if I added it right then he was 19 at the end of Death Note at the time this fanfiction takes place. Side note: To add in another plot point this story actually takes place a few days before 02. 14. 2011. If anyone can guess why then… hehe.
Authors Note 3: Little dog Thank you so much for your review! Well you see Near will definitely be getting more hysterical as he ventures farther into the manor, but for the moment even he himself wasn't sure why he was allowing himself to chase after L. He knew it was a dream, and as for their relationship I'm planning to go more into detail with the Near/L pairing as it get's farther into the fanfiction.
Side note: That was the most constructive criticism I've ever received on a fan fiction and I would love it if you would continue to offer me advice.
Oh yes, and I hope you like the way I made him react to the first ghosts he has to 'fight'.
Authors Note 4: Chikako is an original character, I needed someone to serve as my Kei type character, as well as a little bit of Miku in there as well. Though she does have a connection with one of the other Death note characters, aside from offering Near money to figure out how to stop the curse of the manor.
Chapter III
The Camera Obscura
He woke up.
In a sweat, a cold sweat that seemed to cover every inch of his pale body underneath the cotton night clothes, it unsettled him. The entire thing had felt so real. So frighteningly real, but it was not. His hand instincually reached up and grabbed a strand of his cotton white hair curling it in his fingers, feeling the slightly soaked texture of it. He pulled his knees up to where he could rest his chin on them and remained in deep thought for moments before a knock on the door caused him to turn his head. "Come in Watari." He said, not having to guess who it was knocking at his door at this early hour.
"The last case file has arrived that you requested." Said the older man very calmly "It's waiting on the desk but…" There was a long pause and Near looked at the older man with no expression on his pale face.
"But what Watari?"
he asked calmly, fiddling with the sweat soaked strand of hair.
"I
am not sure if you want to get involved in this case. It…greatly
interfered with the Kira case for the previous L." he cleared his
throat as if to say that he did not think the white haired successor
would be able to do it. At this his haunting dream was quickly
forgotten and he stood up, and not even bothering to even change out
of his white Pajamas, walked over to Watari. "Where is the file?"
He asked calmly, wondering if this was just a way to get him psyched
up over another case that would be solved far to quickly. Another
murderer trying to challenge the great and powerful L?
"It is on my desk," Said Watari calmly, but there was a twinge of doubt in his eyes. Could this really be that dangerous?
--
"The Manor of Sleep?" Near eyed the file with distaste holding it open and outward to examine the somewhat sloppy handwriting of the previous L as well as the typed portions that were somewhat easier to understand. Regardless of what Watari was going to say a chill ran through him as he pulled out the first sheet of paper and began to read it.
'Visions of a Japanese manor haunt the sleep of the victims no matter what nationality they are, the rooms all seem different but one thing is common, a lullaby sung by children can be heard along with the constant clanging of metal hitting metal and a heavy snowfall envelopes everything.'
He could not have taken notice but everyone who saw him developed a look of dread on their face at the sight of him, his dark eyes as round as saucers and his fingers shaking as he put down the paper.
"Once the victim dreams of entering the manor, there is a limited time before the person falls into a sort of coma, and then they disappears entirely."
"Disappears entirely?"
"There is little left of the body than a fine grained dust supposedly. Though this is regarded as just an urban legend there are several people who claimed to have the dream and then…"
"Disappeared?" Nears voice was barely a whisper. What could the connection be? Between the dream he had last night and the case that he was presented with now.
"Has someone requested that I solve this case?"
"Actually, yes." Watari conferred and Near looked to him with confusion in his somewhat calmer, though still frightened, black eyes.
"Chikako Namikawa is her name, a Japanese woman she claims to be seeing the manor after, losing her husband." He frowned.
"What does losing her husband have anything to do with seeing the manor?" He asked, though secretly he knew and he came to realize this as he continued to read as Watari talked.
"Victims often enter the manor following…"
"A loved one." He said calmly and got up. "I need to think Watari." He said just as calmly and left the elegantly decorated room.
--
He found a comfortable spot on the balcony of Whammy house and crawled into his usual thinking position, ignoring the giggles and laughter of the other children. His fingers weaved around the single strand of hair that he always tugged at , though it was dry by this time. What is going on? He thought this to himself many times before finally stopping it and thinking about something else. "Chikako Namikawa eh?" He said the name to himself and then stopped. Frowned, and walked away from the balcony.
"Watari, is there any way I could get hold of Miss Namikawa?" he asked trying his best to seem his usual aloof unconcerned self. This was just another case, it would be nothing more to him.
Except it wasn't.
"Yes, but I do not believe that she will be in today." He said softly. "You seem concerned sir, what is the problem."
"Nothing," he said softly twirling the strand of his hair in his pale fingers. "I'm going to my room." He said calmly.
--
Nears room was white, the color he liked it, but regardless of how he liked it he could not change the Rococo style architecture of the room, with it's golden wall ornaments that he could not take down. He just did his best to keep it looking well…boyish. Thus his toys littered the floor and a castle made of dice occupied the right corner, along with a cherry wood writing desk that matched the wood of his twin sized bed. This had been the previous L' room…Lawliets room, and he was more than proud to have inherited it, but he still felt, everyday as though the man were going to return to them, as if the death brought on by the Kira case was just a big joke. He sighed and sat down in the chair that sat in front of the wooden desk and leaned back placing his hands behind his head and weaving his fingers together.
"This is all silly." He said, trying to reassure himself. "A dream can't hurt you." And he began to occupy himself, by working on a model.
The hours passed and before long the hallway lights were being turned off to signal lights out for the younger children. Near took this as a sign to get into the bed as well and did so.
--
He struggled in his sleep, a deep cold enveloping his body as he tossed and turned and before long his fingers were numb. The sound of metal clacking against metal seemed to be luring him deeper into his trance, before long his fingers were numb and he could not feel his nose, and visions of a dark haired woman, and girls in shrine maidens garb haunted him. Then the vision of a place, with doors opening to emit a great light that blinded him, and then, he was staring at the entrance to the manor again. This time fear coursed through him as he stood outside its gates waiting for the familiar face of his mentor to appear and beckon him in.
But he did not appear. And he felt great disappointment at this. But it did not stop him from entering, perhaps this just meant that he was supposed to return to place where the dream had left off the pervious night. So he continued forward, his feet padding against hard stone. The air of the manor seeming to suffocate him, freeze him to his very bone.
"Sleep Priestess lie in peace…"
a softly melody lilted towards him as he entered into the manor, it was a child's voice an innocent voice, something like the voices of the children that he heard last night. It sent chills down his spine. This was all a dream. He told himself. Nothing more.
"Sleep priestess lie in peace…"
But was it?
The question lingered on his mind as he stepped along cold wooden floors turning down a corner where the singing seemed to be somewhat louder.
"If the priestess should wake from her dream,"
Through a room with a fire pit in it and up a flight of stairs, but this was not the way he came the previous night was it? There was no little girl to follow after, the stairs creaked and dust flew from them as his solid feet went up them. The floor was cold, the entire room was cold but there was nothing that could be done about it and the chills running up and down his spine seemed so uncharacteristic of him. He reached the top of the stairs without much of a distraction and looked around the room. A blue paper lamp sat in the top corner of the room a Kimono box, a dresser and a partition decorated with a traditional Japanese portrait of bamboo trees and a tranquil stream, something moved in the dim light of the flash light, his eyes widened at the sight of a pale hand moving out from behind the partition and pushing in his direction…
It was a camera.
"A…Camera…" Near knelt down and touched the object, feeling its smooth exterior, it was ancient, but it had a rather well kept appearance, as though it would still work if he had to use it. " A camera?" He said to himself again this time far more puzzled. "What on earth is the use of a camera?" He put emphasis on the word as though it were some kind of a joke. "In a place like this?" He picked it up, felt it solid in his hands examined it, it still had film in it, blank film, but still film none the less. Nothing else was held in the room for it, and disappointed at his wrong turn and thoroughly unsettled by his surroundings he crept downstairs, feeling that the slightest creak might bring something horrible out of the woodwork. Though the logical side of his brain kept telling him one thing…
'This is all just a dream'
But was it a dream?
Regardless of whether it was a dream or not it still gave him the creeps to be here, and so he made his way down the steps without so much as a sound, and decided to go back to the hallway and take the other fork in it. He crossed the darkened room without much of a fuss the camera still in his hand he used the other to push it but then something made him stop…a prominent chill that ran down his spine, a breath of cold air that rushed past his ears and ruffled his hair, the partially open door closed itself and he heard two voices.
"Have you seen him?" The first was a woman's voice, but the second was a child's, a female child and she was close, unnaturally close he could almost feel the breathing from it and the chills it was giving him were unnatural. He looked around, nothing on either side of him, but then he looked down…
A scream ripped from his mouth before he could think to stop it, if this truly were any ordinary dream then this would be where things would stop and he would wake up in his bed feeling rather silly if the scream had carried over into reality. But it was not, and he did not wake up. Instead he stared into the lifeless eyes of a semi transparent young girl in a kimono, her skin pale and almost blue in shade, "Where did he go?" a disembodied voice that he was certain belonged to the girl whispered into his ear like a winter breeze. He scrambled away from her turning around to run.
But this was a mistake.
A woman, presumably the mother of the small child was waiting for him, dark hair almost covering her eyes and the same transparent look to her, and her face…her eyes were…horrifying he almost screamed again trying now to back away from this more threatening apparition, but he felt something grab him from behind, though the child may have been transparent she was certainly capable of keeping him in place and he felt the strength draining away from him as he struggled to get away and the woman drew closer.
"Give him back to us." They chorused.
He felt as though the life were about this leave him and she drew closer and then unconsciously he pressed a button the camera.
A blinding flash of light and the woman screamed, and then she was gone, and the young girl with her.
Near collapsed.