"Its been a while, Near." you said as you walked into his headquarters
He didn't turn around "I certainly didn't expect to see you again Kari."
"Didn't you now. Didn't you anticipate seeing me today?"
He turned around "I guess I had an inkling, you would come to me."
"So what's the plan, in what way does that moron plan to get himself killed to solve this case."
"I see here, you're going to try to be Mello's knight in shining armor, a rescue mission."
"That's exactly right." you said.
"And what makes you think I'll tell you about it?"
You kneeled down next to him on the ground "because he's your only friend, who volunteered to go on this suicidal mission just so you, Near, would have the glory of catching Kira and surpassing L. I know that, if you could, you would save him no matter what."
At first you doubted if Near would budge, but you must have hit some heartstrings because he agreed to help you.
"Before you leave, I have a present for you, Kari, it might prove useful on your mission."
Near's present turned out to be a top of the line brand new motorcycle, the fastest one yet.
First part of the mission was to help Matt, you spotted his car heading straight into a trap, you drove up close to his window
"Don't stop driving you're heading into a trap, I'm going to cover for you!"
"Kari, what are you doing here!"
No time to answer, you threw a loaded grenade ahead of you into the semi circle of police cars and it exploded immediately, forming cover to allow you and Matt get away.
You had hoped this would be enough to end it, but a few had escaped and had started chasing the both of you down
You took out your gun and shot a hole in your gas tank leaving a gas trail behind you, and when the time was right, you threw another grenade and ignited it, fired flared behind you.
The bike was out of fuel, so Matt drove up close and you rolled over the roof and into the passenger seat.
"Kari, you're crazy! Don't do that ever again!"
"Oh no Matt, don't thank me for saving your life!"
Out of the chaos of the flames, there were still a couple cars pursuing the two of you
You took out your guns and started opening fire on them, and they retaliated.
The back windshield broke, a car gave up pursuit, the front windshield shattered as well and than
"Kari you've been shot!" Matt screamed, but you couldn't look away, even though your arm stung.
One more shot, and the last car swerved out of control and gave up pursuit.
You sank down in your seat, clutching your arm.
"You idiot! You could have gotten yourself killed!"
"Part one of my mission is complete. Now take me to Mello." you said.
"Mello wouldn't want me to do that." Matt said "I'm sorry Kari."
You pointed a gun to his head "Matt, I would have never imagined having to hold you at gunpoint. I'm going to save him and you're going to help me, or I have no problems pulling this trigger now."
"I just can't make you happy, can I?" Matt asked.
You lowered your gun, not sure what he meant by that "Alright, not doing it to save my life, doing it for both of my best friends." He said, looking at you through his goggles.
He told you the license plate number of the car Mello would be driving, when you saw it, you opened the car door jumped on over before Matt could even tell you to be careful. Then he drifted out of view.
You jumped into the drivers area of the truck where Mello was driving it
"Kari, what are you doing here!" he asked
"I'm rescuing you." you said before you grabbed the steering wheel and jerked the car off the side of the road.
It drove down a big steep hill and landed into the side of a old stone church building
All the glass windows broke and on the way down the hill and you cut your head on the glass.
Everything was starting to blur now, but you shook your head to get rid of it
Mello was also just starting to get oriented again
"Don't move." you said as you emptied out the barrel of the gun on the steering wheel next to him.
You heard Kiyomi Takada, Mello's prisoner in the back screaming to the gunshots
"Kari, are you crazy!"
"Matt asked me that too, but h'es fine now, don't worry you will be too."
"What are you doing here, getting yourself into this mess with me?" Mello asked, touching the gash on your forehead with shaky hands
"I'm getting us both out of this mess."
"How are you going to do that? Takada is going to write my name down on her piece of the death note."
You smiled "I'll take it from here, you've done enough."
As you tried to go to Takada, Mello grabbed your arm "You have to be careful." Mello said
"I know."
In the back, Takada was quivering and covering her head with the blanket when you came to get her
"Who are you?" she asked "Were those gunshots from you?" she asked.
You showed her your gun "Ms. Takada, don't be afraid. I've been on your trail since the kidnapping. I have killed the assailant. I hope the gunfire didn't scare you."
Takada ran to you and hugged you "Thank you for saving me."
You smiled and handed her the box with her clothes "Here you go Ms. Takada."
"Is my phone in here?" she asked as she madly scrambled for it
You handed it to her "It was in the kidnapper's pocket."
She thanked you, then looked at you suspiciously
"You can make your phone call in peace, I'll go outside to see where we are and if we can find help."
You left just as Takada dialed and called out "Light, its me."
You closed the truck and you made your own phone call.
"Near, its Kari, I did everything you said I needed to do. Takada's bodyguards were eluded and Matt is safe. Mello is safe as well, I faked Mello's death and now Takada is calling Light Yagami, the real Kira."
"Well done. The last thing I can ask you to do is to stick around to see what Takada will do next, that is all." then he hung up.
You went back to the front of the truck to check up on Mello, but he wasn't there anymore and started to panic
"Kari, I'm here, don't panic."
You turned around and flung yourself into Mello's arm partly because you were relieved to see him and partly because you didn't have the strength anymore.
Mello sensed it and picked you up and placed you against the wall of the trodden down building, and looked over your wounds.
"It really isn't as bad as it looks." you said with a smile.
"You've been shot." Mello said as he started to bandage up your arm
"What kind of a man am I, to let the person I love take a bullet for me, it should be the other way around."
"If we want to talk about feeling guilty. Remember the time that you came to Near, to take me back with you, and I said no, you stormed out with this sad look on your face and you said goodbye to me. That week, you went and did something stupid and got that scar on your face."
You traced the scar with your fingers and then touched the smooth skin on his cheek
"And sometimes I can't help but wonder, if I left with you, would you have pulled that idiotic stunt and almost killed yourself. That's why, this time I couldn't stand back and do nothing anymore."
"How does it always end up this way, that one of us has to be near dying all the time?" Mello asked, with a tender smile his face
"After this whole thing, when your wounds are better, how about we get out of here?"
"Out of where?" you asked.
"Out of Japan. We'll go to England, where I'm from and we'll start new there. You'll get to meet Roger, whom watched over me, Matt, and Near as we grew up. And we'll visit the orphanage so you can see where I grew up. And then we'll get married and for always I'll be able to call you Mrs. Kaori Keehl."
"You better promise me!" you said, holding your pinky out for a pinky promise.
Mello laughed and grabbed your face and kissed you. "I promise with all my heart."
And in the end Mello fulfilled everything he promised to you.
Kiyomi Takada committed suicide and set fire to the truck she was prisoner in and that proved Light Yagami' identity as Kira.
You and Mello heard about the news in England that the Kira case was now finally closed.
Roger had died just a couple of weeks after the case closed, happy that his most precious Near and Mello had finally worked together to solve a case even L could not solve.
After Roger's funeral, you and Mello became the proprietors of Whammy's house and started running it with new rules and guidelines Mello himself wrote, to better the lives and education of those living there.
The children really looked up to Mello because he himself was a former child at Whammy's and they called him daddy, and started calling you mommy after the wedding which they all attended, with Matt as well as Near.
Near invited Mello to be his partner, as their mentor had intended, and Mello agreed to the idea. The two of them solved many mysteries all over the world together.
Sometimes on extra hard cases, you would help Mello out by working him through the case or providing moral support when he was at his lowest, he called you his luck.
But most of the time, you stayed at Whammy's and watched over the children, trying to be a mother you never had to take care of you at their age.
You has fallen asleep on the porch swing while reading a novel when one of the little girls, Stephanie came and woke you up excitedly.
"Mommy, daddy is home from the case! Him and Near have done it again!"
You smiled and touched her lightly on the cheek
"Of course they have, daddy and Near are the best detectives of all time." the little girl nodded and dragged you to your feet.
At the front door before he could even fully walk in the door, the children were swarming him and he had no idea whom to turn his attention to.
You laughed at the sight "Welcome home, daddy." you said sarcastically.
He had grown up now, no longer wearing the tight leather he used to love, he had taken a liking rather to tight blazers ad suits. And he was wearing a maroon colored blazer, maroon tie with a black button down
You bit your bottom lip, you were never any less attracted to him since the day you two met, years ago.
He walked up to you with a smirk on his face and grabbed you by the waist
You pulled him by the tie down to your face "Oh, did Mrs. Keehl miss me that much?" he asked.
You couldn't help but smile "We've been married for how long now, and I still find myself smiling to myself when you call me that. That must mean I love you with all my heart, Mihael."
He pulled you closer to him and placed his head on your forehead "And that is still not as much as I love you, Kaori."
You yanked his tie further and he kissed you, like he always kissed you before, but this time, and every time, seemed to be the most passionate yet.
