Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

(it would be awesome if i did... dreamy sigh)

"L…you're not certain anymore, are you? You don't know if you'll come out of this alive, do you?"

"…You're right, I don't know."

Anna had gone back to her hotel; she slumped onto the sofa, her head against the armrest. That idiot, L. she thought. 'Find Near.' He had told her to find Near, why the hell would she want to find Near? It was him she wanted to stay with.

'If I die, I want you to find Near, you have to promise to find Near, or I will not let you on the case.' That had been his words. What was he saying? If he knows that he is going to die, then why did he even call her here from Europe? She concentrated her mind on the concept, drumming her fingers against her lips, a habit she had developed to when she was puzzled. After a few minutes of intense thinking, she found two answers.

Her logical side had told her, he wanted to accomplish something on the Kira case before he dies, and he needed your help.

Another side that she had never heard before had told her, he knows what you will do when you find out about his death, he wanted to protect you, and…he wanted to see you one last time.

She scoffed at the idea, one last time…that brings back memories. Five times, five times she had seen him in her lifetime. Each time she had thought it would be the last. Each time, she had cried.

Flashback

I stepped into the large building, following the man who had brought me there. "Anna, this is the place." He had told me, but I hadn't taken it in. I was much more concentrated on the cameras in the place, recording my image, my every move. I quickly spotted them all, the feat barely taking up a minute of my time. I scanned the area, looking for possible places to hide, attack, and escape. I had spotted them all; it was a usual training that I give myself. It wasn't my fault, I'm always like this, I'm…different.

I noticed a small boy too, scrunched up in a position on one of the chairs. He stared at me through his dark, mysterious onyx eyes. I looked up at the man who had led me here, never letting the boy fully out of my sight, "Wait here." He said, and then went somewhere to get my papers.

Ignoring him, I walked towards the boy, "Hello, what's your name?"

He didn't answer, but merely continued his observation.

"I'm Anna." I told him, he was a peculiar boy, but through his steady gaze, I sensed that I wasn't the first person he hasn't told his name to. The boy's eyes were wise and they were sharp, like needles, they would search through every corner to get to the bottom of a mystery. The boy was observant, like me.

"Your real name." he murmured, shuffling his feet together. "That's not your real name, what is it?"

I tensed at this statement, "Why should I tell you my real name, when you don't even tell me your name?"

"You don't know…" he murmured again, this time sticking his thumb inside his mouth. "Your real name, you don't know it."

I didn't know how he knew that I didn't know my real name. No one knew my real name, the only ones who knew were my parents, and they are somewhere, in this vast world.

"I come here to observe people." The boy continued, "I look through those glass windows, and I observe people on the street." He gestured over to the front of the building, where large windows stood, perfectly portraying those on the other side. "You weren't easy to read, but not particularly hard to understand either. Your actions, even the tiniest details, they give you away." He looked back to me, and when I didn't answer, he continued. "When I told you that Anna is not your real name, you tensed, but not because you don't want to tell me. If that was the case, you would've frowned, because you find me annoying, however, you were shocked, but not from the fact that I know that's not your real name, you knew that already, just from looking at me. You tensed in a way that tells me even you don't know your real name. Your excuse that followed up assured me of my theory."

The boy was smart; there was no doubt about that. He can see right through me. Now I know why he's been taken to this place. "You're smart." I tell him, "The way you sit, the way you suck your thumb and the way you shuffle your feet, you're just like me."

"How is that?" the boy asked, puzzled for the first time we met.

I didn't understand his puzzlement, wasn't it clear to him? "Not normal." I told him bluntly, "That's why I've been brought here, I have high athletic skills that are impossible to achieve by people my age. "I'm different, like many people call me, a freak."

To my surprise, the boy smiled, "Watari doesn't bring people here because they're abnormal." He cracked a smile for the first time we met, "He brings them here because they have high intelligence and a detective sense, or they're orphans." He locked eyes with me, telling me that he understood what I was talking about, "By the way, this is just a habit, or my reasoning abilities will reduce by 40. I'm quite normal, and in fact, so are you."

My eyes widened in surprise. That was the first time anyone had told me that I was normal, that I wasn't…something unnatural, something like a monster. Then the man came and caught me talking to him, he was quite upset for some reason, and as he led me away, he whispered these words into my ears.

"That boy…you will never see him again."

I hadn't cared much about the statement at the time. The boy didn't particularly mean that much to me, I didn't really care if I saw him again, I didn't even know his name. Unlike him, I wasn't brought here by Watari, I'm not here to be a detective, I'm here to make a deal. I helped some people test machines everyday with my abilities, they would offer me food, shelter, information, books, and they would help me find my parents.

I had thought things would be easy, that these men would just let me run on a few machines, however, I was wrong. They took me into a large room, full machines, and there, my abilities were tried to their limits. They gave me different things; they tested me, like a lab rat.

It was then that I remembered his words.

"…I'm quite normal, and in fact, so are you."

I dropped to my knees and cried.

End Flashback

This time isn't an exception either. She thought as a tear dripped down her cheek.

L…you can't die. But who was she to control that? Anna grabbed her pillow and hugged it, why was she feeling this way? She's only seen L five times in her life, why did she care if he died or not? Why was she even here, putting her life in risk for him?

He did the same for you, you know. A voice told her, but she knew it wasn't as simple as one for one. Could it be…that she loved him? She scoffed, no way, but she didn't want to reject that idea. She had never know what love felt like, and despite their differences, L was the only one that accepted who she was. It was a ridiculous idea, her loving L, but it made her feel… a little more comfortable.

Anna picked up her phone and dialed L's number, "I accept the condition, I'll find Near if you die." She spoke firmly, "However, if there is the slightest chance, no matter how crazy, how impossible it seems now, I will try. I have heard about the Second Kira's messages, there were something about Shinigami. No matter how insane, if there is the slightest chance, L, I will bring you back from the dead."

Author's Note: I'm beginning to introduce Anna's feelings for L here :D! and oh, here's a special preview for the next chapter!!

Anna turned around, and was surprised as L wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "I just want to know…" he murmured, a touch of confusion in his voice, "What's so different about you."

Light: …I hate you

Hotori: I hate you too

L: I love cake…

Light: I really hate you…

Hotori: What are you gonna do?

Light: I'll write your name in my death note

Hotori: There's a REASON I don't use my real name

Light: I'll figure something out, I mean, I killed that Ray guy and his fiancée didn't I?

L: stares at the cake, totally ignoring the conversation.

Misa: walks by and whips away the strawberry on top

L: NOOOO!!!!!!