Ten:
Confliction

"What do you think our punishment will be?" Matt asked quietly, not gaming for once.

He was unsure how long it had been since he, Mello, and Near had been asked to sit and wait outside the office while Roger and Watari decided their fates. It felt like hours had passed. It made Matt, and Mello, concerned about what that might mean. That said, neither boy was certain if Near realized or cared about just how much trouble they might be in. He'd curled up on the floor and was tracing invisible numbers into the floorboards while the two older boys had tried to figure out what was going on.

"We shouldn't get punished," Mello grumbled, tearing a chocolate wrapper to pieces in his hands.

"We should have asked permission before trying to find L on our own," Near observed.

Mello scowled at him. "No one asked you."

Near looked up from the floorboards and, for the first time Mello could really remember, looked the blond in the eye as he said, "So what? At this point, what does it matter if you asked me or not? I'm stuck in this with you. You might not be able to see the big picture, Mello, but that doesn't mean I can't. I can say what I want about it, too."

They glared at each other, neither knowing nor caring that the voices coming from the room behind them were a little quieter than they'd been before.

"You guys need a room?" Matt inquired after the prolonged silence had grown uncomfortable.

Mello turned away from Near, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the wall. "Not now, Matt."

"You sure? I don't want to stop you."

"Bite me," Mello snapped, getting annoyed.

"I thought you said not in public, Mels," the brunette replied teasingly. He shut up when the look Mello sent his way suggested Matt had five seconds before he was going out a window.

Unsurprisingly, Near had already gone back to ignoring them.

They fell silent again, listening to the rise and fall of voices in the office as well as the sounds of the other kids around the House. None of them were willing to test Roger or Watari's nerves again and so none of them made an attempt to rejoin the general populace. They may have all been fools for trying to go after L on their own, but that didn't mean that any of them were dumb fools. That said, Mello was glad no one passed by to see the three of them standing there like this—he was certain they looked ridiculous right about now.

The trio remained by the door until dinner arrived and they were informed that more time was needed in sorting out their punishments and so they were to go about their evening as usual. Once dismissed, Near disappeared in the general direction of his room and Matt and Mello in theirs. Neither the chocoholic nor the gamer felt like listening to all the little kids talk about how great their day was and, instead, sought refuge in their room…but it provided little comfort. Mello only half-heartedly gnawed at his chocolate bar as he flipped through a book without really noticing what it was about. Matt didn't get far beyond the start screen of any game he tried to play. Both of them had bigger concerns.

As far as they were concerned, this was probably their last night at the Wammy's House; after all…why else would Roger and Watari need an entire night to sort out what to do with them?

The next day dawned cold and gloomy, threatening snow upon the land, but, by the time the trio had been called to Watari's office, the weather seemed a bit more bipolar, with moments of dazzling sunlight and other moments of dusk-like darkness from cloud cover. Someone a bit less logic and fact based than any of the boys might have taken it as a good sign that there was a hint of sunlight on the horizon. They, however, did not.

They filed into the office, not looking at each other or either of the adults. And then Watari explained their sentencing.

"Roger and I spent the evening discussing what to do with you three," he told them, expression giving nothing away despite the formality of his tone. "After much debating, we and several other members of the Wammy's House have decided…."

Decided what?! Mello mentally screamed when Watari trailed into silence, unable to wait. If they were going to be chucked out, they should just get it over with! And, really, what else were they going to do with them if they had to confer with the letters who had already left?

"Are we going to be excommunicated?" Matt blurted out, worry lining his face.

Roger, who had been looming silently behind Watari, looked down at his friend with something like amusement and the corner of Watari's mouth lifted in a small smile. "Not today."

Mello and Matt turned to each other with bright grins, relief swooping through them to alleviate them of their concerns. Even Near finally looked up from the floor directly in front of him.

"However, we both agreed we need to impress upon you the seriousness of what you might have done," Roger added, sending the boys' hopes crashing back down to the depths.

"Attempting to find L on your own was exceedingly foolish," Watari said sternly. "You could have needlessly put yourselves in danger when you should have, first and foremost, come to us. Therefore, Roger will be issuing your punishments…which you will be carrying out for the next month."

Though Near had no reaction, both Mello and Matt managed to nod. They both knew that whatever Roger had in mind for them was nothing compared to what could have happened. They'd gotten off easy.

"What are we going to have to do?" Mello asked with a slight wince.

"In a moment, Mello," Watari replied with a gesture telling him to wait. "When we spoke with the others, Q had a…very interesting proposition—one that I was considering, myself."

Shit, now what? the blond boy wondered, unsure if now was a good time to start coming up with excuses.

"On top of your punishment, you will also help us find L."

The room became so silent Mello was unsure anyone was breathing. Shock coursed so strongly through him that, for the first time in…ages, he was speechless. He felt like he was separated from his body, and so, unable to control himself, he blurted the first thing that came to mind: "What?"

The tenth time Near was directed to dial in the phone number, he expected it to be the same as before: a minute or so of ringing, then a cut to voicemail. Roger had decided to call it a night an hour or so ago, and Watari was beginning to look like that sounded like a good idea to him. Matt and Mello had taken refuge in a far corner of the room and Q, only present through the computer call they'd started just after Watari had explained that they were going to try and track L's phone, hadn't said a word to anyone in hours. Near had the great desire to get this over and done with. Why had they asked him to make this call?

All these things taken into account, it was a great surprise when the line rang longer than previously and, eventually, picked up.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end inquired, dragging the word out awkwardly as though he'd never heard it before.

Near's heart seemed to skip a beat, though uncertainty was coursing through his veins.

"Hello?" L repeated. "Is someone there?"

"Who are you?" Near asked, his brows narrowing. He couldn't place it, but something in "L's" voice didn't sound right. There was an edge to it that was…abnormal. If he was wrong about it, he could apologize to L later, but he was certain he wasn't wrong.

From their corner, Matt and Mello looked up at him anxiously and the blond clambered to his feet. Watari straightened in his chair, frowning at the tone in Near's voice. However, Q, unseen on the computer, said quietly, "I'm starting the trace. Try and keep him on the line as long as possible."

Near didn't need to be told twice.

"I could ask you the same thing," the person on the other end of the line replied, reminding Near that he was using a voice filter.

"What's he saying?" Mello mouthed, only to get a cross look from Near in reply. Matt and Mello might have been good at spying on people, but this was one keyhole they weren't listening through.

"If you were really L, you'd know who I was," Near taunted. "But, if it matters to you that much, you can call me N."

There was silence on the line for a brief second, making him concerned that the other person was going to hang up. Then there was a short, somewhat mad laugh and, dropping all pretenses, a sly voice crooned, "Nate River, is that you?"

Something like horror crashed down upon the white-haired boy and, involuntarily, he felt his gray eyes widen and his grip on the phone grow slippery. How? How did he know that name? No one knew his name—not even L had. It took him a moment to realize he'd referred to L in the past tense and he tried to put it from his thoughts. "Possibly," he allowed and, with a slight, mocking smirk, he added, "So it is you, Beyond Birthday."

If Mello wasn't trying to listen in before, he certainly was now, standing so close it made Near uncomfortable. Luckily, Watari pulled Mello back before Near could manage to kick him.

"Mmm-hmm. B is…admittedly, surprised," B told him, though he didn't sound very surprised. "Surprised that you found me all on your own…but it wasn't all on your own, was it? You had help didn't you?"

"What have you done with L?" Near asked, cutting through B's musings. He didn't have the patience to deal with psychopaths right now, especially not ones that knew his real name.

"L is…a little tied up right now. If you really want to talk, you can talk to me, though. After all, we have a lot of catching up to do, wouldn't you say so, Near?"

"Yes," Near agreed, wondering how much longer Q needed to trace the call. "Why don't we start with why you weren't good enough to stay here?"

"Near," Watari scolded warningly. In contrast, Matt gave a low whistle and muttered something about a burn while Mello stared at him with something like shock from behind his chocolate bar.

"Fine," B spat. "But only if we finish it with how your lack of creativity is keeping you from solving more than simple puzzles on you own. Really? You can't even track B without others to help you?"

He was silent a moment, gritting his teeth as he remembered why he'd once disliked interacting with B. How had he even been considered for L's successor when he had less sanity than L had socks? "Arguing with each other is pointless—we aren't going to get anywhere—but, if you think we're so pathetic, why don't you just hang up?"

From the computer, Q hissed, "Keep him on the line!"

"But, if I hang up, we can't play, Nate. B knows how much you like games. Don't you want to play?"

Near licked his dry lips as his free hand came up to twirl a strand of his hair meditatively. He was keenly aware that he should ask Watari before making a decision or even deigning to consider an answer to B. But everyone was looking at him right now, watching his every move, and…and he needed to step up and take charge if they were going to trust him to make the call in the first place. "A game? What are the stakes?"

"Yes. Hmm…let me think," he replied slowly though Near didn't believe for a second that B didn't already know what he was going to say. "How about this: if Near and Watari can find L, they can keep him. If they can't, then B decides what to do with him. I think that's fair, don't you?"

"You're not giving us any choice."

"No. This is a one-time offer. You are interfering with B's plans. Either we play, or you stop. Do you understand?"

Near shot a look in the direction of Q's screen, knowing Q could see him, even if he wasn't being seen.

"I have his location," Q informed them.

"Deal," Near replied.

"Tag," B told him. "You're it." And the line went dead.

"What deal did you agree to?" Watari asked the moment Near hung up the phone and set it down.

Near sat there, thinking quickly as he twirled his hair between his fingers. "B's decided that, if we find L, we can have him back. But, if we can't, B will decide what to do with him."

"Then we've no time to waste."

It was dark, too dark to mean anything good. L sat on his cot, trying to think despite the fact that the power outage was wreaking havoc on his senses. He was used to minor blackouts, but this one had gone on for much longer than the others had. In the utter darkness, every tiny sound was amplified to the extreme. He couldn't help but sit there, waiting and waiting for some sign of danger. L jumped slightly as something brushed against his feet and he mentally cursed C. Why the cat—so named because its collar bore only a single letter "C"—liked to rub on him was a frustrating mystery.

The jingling of C's collar signaled its departure as it headed toward the wall toward L's right. Unfortunately for L, this did not signify the beginning of him being able to think again. The cat slunk over to the wall and crouched down, unseen by L, before vigorously scratching at the sheet metal.

"C," L admonished before adding a little more forcefully, "C, that's enough."

C was undaunted, scratching harder than ever, its claws making an annoyingly grating noise against the wall. With a heavy sigh of annoyance, L hopped to his feet and shuffled over in the direction he thought the cat was lurking in. Sinking down to his knees, he felt around until he got his hands on C. The cat gave him a very offended yowl and slipped from L's grasp. Attempting to catch the furry nuisance, L slipped and crashed into the same patch of wall C had been clawing at.

The strangely hollow bang that resonated through the room gave L pause. Why…did the wall sound hollow? Was it just his imagination or could he feel the tiniest wisp of cold air brushing against his fingers? Intrigued, he laid down against the icy floor and tried to peer through the gloom. And then he saw it: a crack, barely wide enough for a strand of hair to fit through, with faint, murky light shining through it.

Slowly, he realized he was shaking with some unknown, inexpressible feeling. After all this time…he couldn't believe he'd finally found the door.

AN: Hmm...Avery isn't appearing in this chappie and L's found a door! And, once again I'm talking to myself. Hello? Any readers out there? *hears an echo* =( If anyone's reading this, please leave a review? I'd really like to work on a sequel, since this is ending in three chapters, but I won't work on it if no one's reading...