They left the hotel early in the morning, and then went to Japan. Linda dozed in her seat, which was a welcome silence, but Light, Mokkhavesa, and Gevanni were all awake with Near. And Near seemed deep in thought, constantly completing and then undoing his puzzle as he tried to make sense of what was running through his head.

He visited Mello's grave, and then an unknown shinigami - or ghost - started to follow him – according to Light, that is. But, it weirded the ex-god out enough that Near doubted it was a lie. There was also the missing chocolate cake that the stranger had eaten. He was in the graveyard, maybe, and he liked chocolate cake…

His hand halted on a piece and he glanced at Light, who was sitting behind him as usual and looking bored. Something seemed to have caught his attention, though, because he was looking straight across from him. Near glanced over just in time to see a chocolate bar vanish into thin air.

From what had happened so far and the events he knew had happened during the Kira case, he could gather that there was at least a 71 percent chance of that shini-ghost being Mello.

He was broken out of his thoughts by Gevanni asking him a question that startled him. "Why didn't you call the other two? Why only me?"

Nea'rs gray eyes shifted from where Light was looking to where Gevanni sat. "Because, they are both very busy as it is. You, however, seemed to have plenty of time on your hands." He smiled a bit. "And I knew that you would be willing to protect me."

"For selfish reasons." Mokkhavesa muttered in Thai. Near shot him a cold look and Gevanni just looked confused. "Don't act like you don't notice, Nate. He's definitely after you—"

"In the same way you are?" Near asked in Thai, glancing at him boredly.

"What?" Gevanni blinked. "English, please?"

Near looked at him. "We're almost at Japan now." He said calmly, his gray eyes reflecting the sights of Japan. 'Japan…where L lived and died during the Kira case. His grave is here with Quillish Whammy's, and will be moved later to England.' He glanced at Kira hovering next to him to look at the window. 'Kira's homeland…'

This was also the place of another incident...

"Nate…"

No, not again. Not here. He tried to take the memories away, but they insisted on staying.

"Please, Ryuuzaki…Let me go…"

"No. Not until he is here."

"I'm scared…"

"It won't hurt you to show emotion every now and then, will it, Nate?"

Ryuuzaki's cold laughter rang through Near's head, making him shiver a biot. His feet had long since recovered from the abuse, but they stung every time he remembered. And…that infected wound on his upper-arm…

"Near? Are you alright?" Gevanni's voice broke him from his thoughts and Near looked over and gave a small nod. Gevanni relaxed and then looked out the window. "So many memories…look, there's the area with the Yellow Box Warehouse!"

The Yellow Box Warehouse…

Near remembered that day vividly, and he glanced at Light as he recalled the shinigami's biggest mistake: Saying "I win" before Near was dead. He'd counted his chickens, but they didn't hatch the way he planned. And it was those two simple words that had sealed Kira's demise.

I win.

He sighed and looked back out the window, taking in the sights and somewhat grateful for Linda's being fast asleep. She'd be so noisy right about now…

They landed and then Near reached out a hand to shake Linda's shoulder. "Linda? Linda, we're here."

"Nnnn…?" She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Oh, we're already in Japan?"

Near nodded and then packed his puzzle into his bag before standing up. "Let's check into a hotel tonight and go to the graveyard tomorrow morning." He said calmly, walking over to join his two bodyguards.

"That's a good idea." Gevanni said, nodding. "Should I call ahead and arrange for one?"

"Yes. A room on the top floor of a 5-Star." Near said calmly. "And it could be a good idea to watch for Ryuuzaki, but we can do that just fine."

Gevanni nodded and then he pulled out his cell-phone to make the arrangements. After a few hours, they arrived at the hotel and checked into their room. Gevanni saw Near walk over to look out the window and walked over to join him. "Why so high, Near?"

"He'd have to be inhuman to climb up to this height." Near said calmly, and then he stepped away from the window. "And I want to take as many precautions as I can. I'm going to expose myself to the open air and anyone at L's grave. There's at least a 78 percent chance of his being there."

Gevanni nodded, and then he slowly reached out to touch his shoulder. He felt him stiffen up and then relax under his hand. "It's alright. I'm going to protect you." He smiled, looking down at the smaller male. He'd never thought that Near would so openly show emotions, but when he was with Mokkhavesa, he shared them easily. He smiled, laughed, talked…

He felt a bit envious.

Near looked up at him and smiled. "It's alright, Gevanni. I was just…" He looked out the window again. "…I'm not fond of being touched." He said softly.

"Mokkhavesa touches you." Linda pointed out. "How come you don't flinch when he does?"

"They have a point, Near." Light said, hovering near Near's shoulder.

"We share something special." Mokkhavesa said, grinning as he lay down on the bed. "That's why. Maybe it has to do with coming from the same town? That, and we're really close, so close that you can't imagine!"

"Mokkhavesa." Near turned to him and walked over. "Are you telling them lies? In case you forgot, I used to cringe at your voice. I only stop trying to push you away because I know by now that you don't EVER respect my personal bounderies!" He then turned and walked off to pull out a puzzle to work on.

Mokkhavesa winced at Near's cold behavior. "…Ouch. Yes, sir, I will refrain from pissing you off and getting the law to banish me. Or at least a restraining order." He stuck out a tongue at him, poking at his being the new L. "Since when have you been interested in puzzles?" He got off the bed and walked over, kneeling next to him.

"Since I entered Whammy's house." Near said calmly, and then he glanced at where Light was hovering by Gevanni. "It would be wise to not make ourselves stand out when we go out. I'll need darker clothing and a hat."

Light looked over and floated over to him. "When are you gonna be ready to diiiieeee?" He whined, even though he knew that Near wouldn't reply to him right now. That was what really sucked about being around Near. And he wasn't even letting others touch the notebook!

"You're boring." Light scoffed.

Near shrugged and ignored him, but another voice spoke that only Light could hear…

"Yes, he is, isn't he? He was always that boring, even at Whammy's House. Near is just not an interesting person."

Light's eyes widened, but he said nothing. He didn't want more questions from Near, after all! Still…who was that guy? And why was he followingthem? It was giving him the creeps!

Near glanced at Light and then stood up, going to the bathroom, only giving the slightest indication for Light to follow by nodding his head slightly. Once they were alone, Near closed the door and turned to him. "What is the matter, Kira? You seem upset by something."

"That guy's still following us." Light said, hovering in front of the mirror. "Kinda' creeps me out, and I still don't recognize him."

"I'm sure all will be revealed in time." Near said calmly. "Stop being so apprehensive. Is there anything you want to eat?"

"Potato chips?" Light grinned.

"I'll arrange for some to be delivered, but you can only eat them when we're all asleep, or in the bathroom when no one's using it." Near turned and walked out.

Light frowned. "I can see why Ryuuk had trouble when it came to me." He muttered, and then floated through the door Near had just closed to find everyone preparing for bed.

Everyone…but him and the other one. That strange, blonde stranger…

Later on, after they were all in bed, Light hovered over Near's sleeping form and frowned. 'The guy is someone that knew him at Whammy's House…could it be…?' He looked over at the blonde stranger, who was standing by the window with a hawk-like gaze. '…Could it?'

The next morning, Near had breakfast delivered as they prepared to visit L's grave. He had to face it, he was also fixing his hair to try to make himself look better. After all, the last time he'd been in front of that grave, he'd laughed and looked so mean! But, there was no need to look mean here.

And, if Near was right, they'd find an indication of Ryuuzaki chasing after him there. If he was right.

Which, Light thought bitterly, was often the case. Thus why HE was the one following Nate Rivers around. That. Really. Sucked.

"Let's go." Near said, once they'd finished their breakfast. As they left the room, Light noticed that the blonde stranger took a side-route to leave the building before them. Near, who was now dressed in casual clothing of blue jeans, a white jacket, and a gray sweater to cover his porcelain skin. He was also wearing a dark-blue winter hat that hid his amazingly white hair. His feet were covered by white boots, and his hands were covered by white gloves.

All in all, Light had to admit, he was pretty much hidden from anyone that knew what he looked like. If only he could hide those wretched L-looking eyes, he'd be perfect. But, didn't the fact that he was always dropping his eyelids halfway do that?

Touta Matsuda, who had volunteered to drive them to the graveyard, looking at him and blinked. "…Is that really Near in there?"

"Yes, Matsuda-san." Near said as he got into the back seat with his two bodyguards. Linda sat in front with Matsuda and Light sat on the top of the car, 'cause he could and he WANTED to! "You know where L is buried, correct?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I was…there at his burial." He wiped his eyes and then started the car, driving off to the cemetary that they'd laid the detective and his old caretaker to rest so many years ago. In the rear-view mirror, he could see Near looking out the window quietly, one hand fidgeting with a strand of hair that poked out of the bottom of the hat.

"Stop here." Near said suddenly, and Matsuda pulled to a stop and parked in front of a flower shop. Then he waited while Near and Gevanni went out to get some flowers to put on the graves. Near looked at the flowers quietly, trying to think of what L would like. Had L even ever expressed liking flowers? What flower should he pick?

He finally formed a bouquet of irises, cosmos, and yellow chrysanthemums for L, and then handed it to Gevanni to hold while he looked at what to pick for Watari. After a bit of time, in which Gevanni was starting to shift and look at his watch, he picked out yellow chrysanthemums and cosmos and formed those into a bouquet as well. Then he took the bouquets from Gevanni and walked back to the car, holding them gently so as not to crush any of the flowers.

After they got in, Matsuda drove to the graveyard and smiled a bit as he he drove. "Maybe I should have gotten some flowers, too. Are we in a hurry?"

"We might be in a hurry to leave." Mokkhavesa said, looking at the graveyard as they neared it. "If the danger Near is sensing actually shows up."

The car pulled to a stop and they all walked out, walking to L's and Watari's graves. The only people that didn't walk were Light and the blonde stranger, but they didn't NEED to walk. They could fly everywhere, after all. It was a very serene moment, as Near knelt and lay the bouquets down in front of the gravestones and sat quietly for a bit. Matsuda also knelt in front of the grave to have a moment of silence for the two of them. Linda also joined them, and Light could've sworn that he saw the blonde stranger bow his head in respect.

He looked around slightly, and then also bowed his head in respect. Mokkhavesa was the only one not bowing with respect, and that was most likely because he didn't give a hoot about L or what he did for his old classmate.

After what felt like forever to Light, Near finally stood up and turned to go back to the car, the others following his lead. When they got the car, though, the graveyard owner ran over. "Is there a 'Near' with you?"

Near looked over and blinked as he was handed a bouquet of daisies and an envelope. "For me?" He looked it over and frowned. "No indication as to who it's from…"

"Let's go back to the hotel and look at it." Mokkhavesa said, walking over to lead him into the car. "Did you see anyone you knew here?"

"No…" He frowned. 'They must've known that I would be coming, though. Mello? No, I don't think it was him…' A feeling of dread came over him and looked at the flowers. 'Daisies…they represent innocence, or purity. What does this mean?' He looked at the envelope and then leaned back in the seat, letting out a sigh. "I'm a bit anxious…"

"The person must've suspected you were coming, or was already there." Light said, looking at him. "But, I didn't see anything."

Much as he'd like to reply and continue the conversation with the obnoxious shinigami, he wasn't going to. No, he'd mull over what Light had said in his head for a while, and look at the letter. Hopefully it would help him understand…

Daisies…

Kira didn't see anything…

And a letter, adressed to "Near". No one knew that he was coming…

So, who were the flowers from?

As soon as they were back in the hotel room, he pulled out a letter-opener from his bag and held it upside down, letting a single piece of paper fall to the floor, folded up. "…" He put down the envelope and picked up the paper, and his breath caught in his throat as he read what it said:

Lawli had a little lamb.

It's hair was white as snow.

And everywhere that Lawli went,

The lamb was sure to go.

Little lamb, Lawli is dead. Where are you going to go now, hm? You were the first and now you are L but, soon enough, you'll be nothing but a memory.

~ Beyond - "Rue Ryuuzaki" – Birthday

P.S. How's your arm? I notice that your feet recovered, at least.

"Ryuuzaki…" Near paled and let the paper fall from his hands as he fell against the bed, both Gevanni and Mokkhavesa running over to see what was wrong. To answer their questions, he picked up the paper and handed it to him, his eyes shaking in silent fear. 'He was there…he saw me…that's the only way…he saw me at L's grave, he knows that I'm the new L…' He rolled onto his side as he thought this, his eyes closing. '…"soon enough, you'll be nothing but a memory"…It figures that he'd want me dead…' He thought, trying to calm his rapidly-beating heart.

"Freaky…" Gevanni muttered. "Should we let that Matsuda guy know about this?" He looked at Near.

Near pushed himself into a sitting-up position and shook his head. "Let's not get more people involved than necessary." He said, his calm demeanor returned, but Light saw his hand subconciously move to touch where he knew a really bad scar was on his upper arm. "We should get out of Japan as soon as possible. We don't need to trouble the Japanese Police again. We already upset them enough during the Kira case."

"Alright." Gevanni nodded.

Linda smiled. "I'll go order food, you guys stay here, alright?"

"Alright." Near said, getting off the bed and started to work on his puzzle. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm gonna go take a shower." Mokkhavesa said, walking into the bathroom, leaving Near and Gevanni to talk alone if they so wished.

Gevanni read and re-read the letter, but only came up more confused each time. "Who's 'Lawli'?" He looked at Near.

"I don't recognize the name, but he could be referring to L, judging by the rest of the letter's contents." He looked over at the daisies. 'Innocence…purity…why send those to me, Beyond Birthday?' He thought, twirling a lock of hair in his hand. 'It just makes no sense…'

"It looks to me like a death threat." Gevanni spoke again, walking over to stand next to Near. "Why would he want to kill you?"

"He was very fond of L. I took L's place when he died, and I suppose he's a little angry. It doesn't help that, because of me, he lost L the last time he had him." He said calmly, his gaze on nothing in particular. "If I had just been a good hostage…but, no, I had to try to escape and took Light with me." He looked down. "…Light is dead…Light was Kira…" He glanced at Light, who was looking over Gevanni's shoulder to read the note. 'Kira doesn't remember…'

"Well, it's a bit creepy." Gevanni said, putting the note down next to Near. "Who knows what he'll do…"

Near was about to speak, but the sound of shattering glass cut him off and Gevanni pulled Near away from his puzzle as a knife landed right in the middle of it. Near's eyes widened as he saw the knife and then he looked towards the window, his face pale.

"Ryuuzaki…" He breathed, his hands gripping Gevanni's shirt slightly.

*~~**~~**~~*

DUN-DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUUUUUN! DUN-DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!

Right. That sounds much better in music form, but whatever. Glad you guys stuck around this far, and if you're confused about how B found N so quickly, it'll be explained in the next chapter, along with the seemingly unrelated daisies.

Yes, Gevanni gets to see the madman first! Protect Near, Gevanni! He's gonna need it!

Reviews bring another chapter, so please read and review, kthxbai!