Guest: Alright, let's see-
1. Yes, I do occasionally go to church. ouo
2. It is a Methodist church
3. Sometimes Sierra and Anna come along, though I sometimes go to their church as well.
Not sure; but heck, it'd be cool to know one of my reviewers in person!~

Okayyy, maybe updating monthly is a bad idea. o^o; I completely lost track of time, and now, here's your update not one but two months later. u^u; I... No apology can make up for a month-late update. Gosh.

Though, in those two months, I've gotten exactly nowhere in writing this story, so-

I am hoping to push it forward soon, seeing as summer is coming and I should have more time on my hands once exams are over. =7=

So uh- wish me luck! It's been a long while since this has been worked on.

But here's a readily prepared chapter - we're not at a dead end yet! I hope you enjoy~


Light leaned back in the chair at his desk, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. It was the day after he'd laid his propositions down for BB, and he was feeling all the better for it. He honestly believed it was the right thing. Kira wasn't doing anything truly wrong if he wasn't going after the innocents that were after him in the name of their own form of justice. Without going after those considered innocent, there was no hypocrisy. He was truly doing good. Now; now Kira was a true figure of justice. Now he was working towards purity. Maybe then, he thought, Kira would actually deserve his deification.

Light gazed at the upper wall, his eyes almost pensive, yet almost lost. Thoughtful. He crossed his arms. BB had brought up a point, though, as much as we hated to admit it. 'How much do you feel now?' Less. We felt less. It wasn't as bad; not as bad as the old Kira Light that no longer existed, and most definitely not as bad as Beyond himself. But still… we felt less.

Now, sure, this was fine. We still felt for those close; there was love for people like Sachiko and Sayu; for people like Sam, Sierra, and Anna. For each other, of course. And then, we could always place our major decisions as Kira on logic. What did we know for a fact was right? That sort of thing.

But it would get worse, and both of us knew it. It wasn't so much the care for those we loved that we worried about, because we knew that no matter how far the infection Beyond spoke of would go, we would always, always care for them. It would just be a back-of-the-mind sort of feeling, one that couldn't be quite felt yet still caused us to do things such as ensure their safety or get inexplicably upset if one were hurt. Rather, it was the 'each other' prospect that worried him.

At first we would care; yeah. But Light had gone so far as to already think that he couldn't love anymore until the incident at the hospital. That had proved him wrong… but… how long would it last? We were getting colder, and we knew it. It was one of the sacrifices that came with working as Kira. It was selling your soul; your mind; even your heart. And if things became too cold, there would be no such thing as 'love' or 'affection.' It would exist, but it would exist outside the realms of our perception. What if there came a day when even the love that existed between us now could not warm our hearts?

That is what bothered Light about Beyond's words. It is said that love conquers all, but how can that work for a mind and heart that can no longer truly feel?

But I still feel now, he thought to himself, turning in his spinny chair and shifting his leg so it was resting over the other. If the rest of it were to melt away like Beyond had implied, then fine. It would be a sad exception; another sacrifice for the New World. But for now we had our feelings. It was okay. He would simply make the most of these feelings while they still existed in all fullness. Yes; he'd make the most of it while it lasted.

Light smiled slightly, his lips curving elegantly. Perhaps Anna's suggestion held some merit after all. Perhaps he would propose; there was no doubt that we would ever start hating each other or something, after all. The Bond and the simple fact of the way we were ensured that. Now, why not take that step sooner rather than later, before we got too cold?

Yes, he decided, that would be what he would do. He'd take advantage of the time he had and he would not just love me, he would show it. He supposed it was time to get married after all.

He was sure that Anna and Matsuda would be thrilled with the news.


"Good news, Ryuzaki," said Aizawa, smiling determinedly as he entered the hotel room and walked towards the detective, Ide following behind. Matsuda and Mogi looked up. L only listened without looking away from the computer screen. "We've found traces of DNA in every place, and one of them was a match," he said. "Mikami was definitely in the one on Momiji Street."

"Alright," said L, "now all of you should search the area around that abandoned hideaway and ask around to see if anyone has seen him, or even if someone may be hiding him in their home."

"Alright!" Matsuda cried in delight, jumping to his feet and throwing his fist in the air. "We'll find him soon for sure, won't we, Ryuzaki? We're so close!"

"Jeez, Matsuda," Sam came in, furrowing her brow.

Matsuda looked at her and blinked twice. "Um… sorry…," he said sheepishly, and she laughed.

"What the hell, Matsuda? Don't be sorry."

"Er…."

"In any case," said L, "I say it would be good if you all went to work on that immediately. We are short on recruits, so it would be best if all of you went to search. My apologies."

Aizawa and Ide glanced at one another. Mogi blinked, and stood. "Come on, all of you," said Aizawa to the others, and they gathered to head out.

"Don't leave all at once," L reminded them.

"Oh; right," said Matsuda.

Aizawa left with Matsuda, leaving Mogi and Ide behind. At one point all of them had left, and for awhile it was just Sam and L in the hotel room, all alone with L tap-tap-tapping at the computer keys as he looked into the people living anywhere within a five-kilometer radius of the hideout Mikami's DNA had been found in. Time passed in silence. It really was too bad that Sam didn't like silence; not at all. So, she plugged her ear buds into her ears and listened to her music. Her iPod never did run out of battery. She wondered why. I mean, it didn't make any sense, really…. It would have been long dead by now. Yet my Walkman was in working order too.

Hm.

L thought maybe it had something to do with being sent through the In-Between the first time the four of us had ever gone through – meaning, when we got here. Not that it mattered. There were lots of unknowns when it came to us four. The Bond in general, how you lived through death in the In-Between, how we understood and spoke every language that we heard, the occasional dramatic difference our eyes would create, the initial anime-ness of our vision that had eventually transformed itself into realism….

Yeah.

Eventually L's eyes flicked to the time to see that Anna was probably home by then. Hopefully. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed her number from Sam's memory. Then he merely waited and listened to the ringtone as he held the device up to his ear in that odd way of his. Near had sent L to catch Mikami, sure, but L was planning on doing more than that.

Anna picked up on the third ring. "Hello? L?"

"Yes, this is L," said L.

"Hi!" Anna greeted brightly. "How are you, and how's Sam?"

"Both of us are fine, and I hope you are faring the same," L responded rather bluntly. "Are you at SPK headquarters?"

"What? Um, no…. I left a few minutes ago; I'm walking home now," she said. "Why?"

"I'd like you to do something for me, Anna. Would you do me a favor?"

"Sure!" she chirped. "What's the favor?"

"First, you must promise not to tell your aunt, nor can you tell Light. It is imperative they do not know."

"Okay…."

"You cannot tell Near, either."

She paused a moment. "Why not?"

"I have my reasons," L answered. "This is a secret."

"So basically, don't tell anyone?" she seemed to frown.

"Yes. Can you do that, Anna?"

She hesitated a second, then replied, "Yeah, I can do that…. What am I doing, though?"

"I'd like you to watch your aunt; just keep a close eye on her. For me. Tell me of anything she does, especially if it seems suspicious in any way."

"What?" she asked, and her voice became harder. "Why? Do you think she's Kira too?"

"If you do not want me to lie, then yes, she is a suspect," he said sincerely. "However, there is less than a five percent chance of Natalie being involved," he then lied. "It's up to you to make she's not doing anything we haven't been noticing. Maybe she isn't eating, or she's staying up unusually late. Maybe she locks her door. Just keep an eye on her, that's all. Alright?"

"Well, fine, but Aunt Natalie isn't Kira!" she scowled. "I'm really getting sick of you stupid geniuses accusing my aunt of that!"

"Well, Anna," he soothed flatly, "think of it this way: if she's not Kira, then there will be nothing suspicious. If she is, then she is, Anna. That is all. Now, can I trust you with that, Anna?"

"…Yes," she frowned. "I can do that, L."

"Good," said L. "Thank you."

"Uh-huh."

"Goodbye, Anna," he said, and disconnected.


Beyond's consciousness emerged gradually from slumber. He was lying on his back with his forearm resting over his eyes. Everything was dark. And even once his awareness returned to him, he did not make a move to get up. Slowly, though, he shifted his arm away from his face and discovered something that confused him: his eyes were wet.

What was this? He tasted salt; his arm and his pillow had been watered with his eyes. What was wrong? He grew vaguely confused, wiping at them with the back of his wrist. He didn't understand…. Were these tears? Was he crying? Why?

Yes, it seemed 'why' was the right question here…. He didn't understand… he didn't feel sad, he didn't think. Just… hazy. Vacant. All of this was relatively comfortable for him…. Lulling, almost.

He felt his face again to ensure he'd really felt that dampness. True enough, it was still there. At this, B merely blinked slowly before lowering his arm to his side and gazing at the ceiling. He hadn't cried very often in his life. The only other time he could think of was that day at school… the day his mother died. He thought of that event absently, and compared it to the moment he was in right then, in the present. He didn't feel it like he had then. He felt exactly the same as he usually felt. It was like his eyes were crying, but he wasn't. Back then it was more than just salty tears; it was a heave in his chest; a burning in his throat and eyes and nostrils; a pouring of emotion; a pain in his heart; an overwhelming purge…. It was something that made his whole being tremble and shake until he couldn't even breathe right.

No… this wasn't like that. These were tears without origin; tears that blended into the silence…. The silence that whispered its secrets to him…. Perhaps the tears were a secret… but of what? B thought that perhaps it was something in his dreams… a fabricated reality where something in him he forgot about might live. Yes… maybe that was it.

The piece of him that was made of Nothing disagreed. That part said he was hollow now. Hollow; there was nothing in him that could bring tears. He was Nothing. Always; except for… in the Fog and under the Full Moon. Why not? Falling back to humanity, where tears could be sweet or bitter or plain-out salty and not nonexistent like it was in Nothing, above humanity as it was.

Yet he still couldn't figure out truly why. He sighed lightly and turned his head to look at the wall, listening intently to the silence and what it may tell him. By now his eyes had begun to dry. He listened quietly to the silence…. His breathing…. A soft ticking…. His heartbeat…. The soft shift of fabric when he moved even slightly….

B thought he heard something, and turned his head to the other side to see the rest of the room. He could have sworn he saw a young body on the bed nearby, but he blinked, and it was gone. He blinked again, slowly, and looked back to the ceiling, allowing himself to be comforted by the little familiar things. The darkness wrapping itself around him, and the silence that spoke in its friendly muted voice.

The silence never did tell him about his tears. Oh well…. He supposed it would remain a secret.


Anna was bored. She was starting to realize that each day at SPK headquarters would undoubtedly be uneventful, and it was irritating her to no end. 'We're waiting,' Near always said. Well, Anna hated waiting. 'Patience is a virtue.' Well, it seemed like she'd been waiting for forever. She'd had to 'wait' for years for something interesting to happen to her when she first came to this world! How much longer would she have to endure this game of patience? She was honestly tired of it….

At least, she thought, L had asked her to help. He had asked her to watch over me, her aunt, and she was willing to do that. She knew it wouldn't get L very far, though, because she knew that I wasn't Kira. She was positive. I was her aunt, a positive older-than-her figure that was still closer to her age than any other aunt or uncle she might have had…. A friend as well as family. And, quite simply, I would not be Kira. I was too good of a person; she was sure of it.

But she would do what L asked. Not just because L was awesome, but also because of the fact she wanted to prove to him that I was innocent. She honestly thought she was doing good for both me and L, in that case. She was actually considering asking Near if she could take a break for awhile just so she could watch me and follow me around…. That was, unless something interesting actually happened here. Which it normally didn't.

Although, it did surprise Anna when Near sent her out on a mission; an actual mission! She actually got pretty excited about it. Just think; she was on a mission for L and Near now. How exciting!

He told her that Gevanni would be going on a mission after her, but his task wouldn't work out unless she did hers correctly. It made her feel pretty important. He said, "Anna, I need you to make sure you do this right because of this. Can I trust you with that?"

"Sure!" Anna answered brightly. "…What am I doing?"

"Just get Light out of his house tonight. It doesn't matter how. Just invite him over to your house, or ask him to take you to the park…. Anything to get him out of his house." Near never looked away from the city of dice he was assembling.

"Why?" Anna inquired, curious.

"Because after he is out of his house, Gevanni will be placing cameras there. We have had wiretaps, but nothing has been caught. We will have to add cameras instead if we want to catch something. This will be our first small step towards our victory…."

"So we're actually doing something?" she asked him excitedly.

Anna swore she could see the slightest little smile on his features. "Yes, Anna, we're actually doing something. Once Gevanni places the cameras, we'll have more of a chance of catching Kira in the act. Most likely, this won't work, but this is, after all, merely a stepping stone."

Anna looked at Near hopefully. "So… we're done waiting?" she asked. Was it really true? No more waiting forever and ever? They were making a move? She felt like she could do back flips all the way home out of joy. She'd probably kick some strangers along the way, but you know, she didn't mind in that moment. It seemed like a pretty good idea anyway.

"Yes, Anna. We are done waiting." He placed the last dice that had been set out on his tower and paused. He began twirling his hair before his hand could become idle. "I hope this pleases you."

"Yes!" Anna answered as if it were obvious, then drew into herself, almost as though she were trying to contain her energy and excitement. "Can I go out and start now? Soon? When?"

"Whenever you'd like," Near responded, pulling over another box of dice across the linoleum floor for him to use. He picked the first die up out of the box. "You don't have to wait here if you don't want to."

Anna's position shifted to a more relaxed stature, one hand on her hip. "You know, it would have been a lot more fun waiting if you had cooperated and actually played with me."

"My apologies," Near responded without looking.

Anna pursed her lips. He didn't seem like he meant it…. Nah, he's just always like that. He's just… Near. And she smiled. Yeah. He was Near; that was all. And that was the way she liked it. "Well…" she said, shifting on her feet, "…thank you. Thank you very much anyway, Near." With that, she thoughtlessly leaned down to give him a peck on the cheek before decidedly frolicking happily from the room to do her work.

Near put a hand where she'd planted the kiss and blinked, wide-eyed as he watched her leave. There was a minute of silence. Halle's hand was to her mouth, Gevanni's eyebrows were raised, and Rester had turned in his chair. All of them waited for the befuddled albino's response. Eventually he spoke. "…Rester, what just happened?" he asked blankly.

The man smiled slightly. "Well, Anna kissed you on the cheek, Near."

Near didn't respond at first, only removing his hand from his face at last in order to resume twirling his hair. "That's what I thought…. Thank you for confirming this, Rester."

After that, Near wouldn't say another word about it.


What even is fluff...

Fun Fact: I haven't so much as thought of my Walkman in a long while. Lordy, when did I start this series?

Well, I'm going to try to update in a month. o^o Haha...

Review? For...Near and his confused-ness~?