Near assumed it would take a considerable amount of time before Mello came to terms with the information he was given. He, logically, knew that he should not expect to hear from Mello until he did so. However, he had hoped that he would still be contacted by Matt to alert him to any changes or important information.

Which is why he had to quickly paste an expressionless mask on his face when Lidner announced that Mello had contacted her the night before to tell her that they had some evidence on Misa Amane and they would be monitoring her closely, as well as keeping eyes on Mogi and Aizawa. His mind frantically worked through the reasons that Mello would do such a thing. Mello already knew that Near believed Misa Amane to be the Second Kira. He knew that Near was already aware of the situation. Did he truly have evidence against Amane? Or was this some sort of game? What would be the point if it was?

Was Mello just trying to annoy Near? He had to know that Lidner would relay the information.

Was this the way Mello felt? Knowing that Near and Matt had kept something from him? That they had spoken about it with each other and left Mello out?

Oh.

Near's brain connected the pieces. He understood why Mello had contacted Lidner…again. But for the first-time life, he did not feel comforted by the information. He understood the why, but he didn't like it. And he did not want Mello to do it again.

However, the only person Near had to blame was himself. For beginning this little powerplay. For creating the connection between Mello and Lidner in the first place. He had assumed that it would be easier for Lidner to deal with Mello. Or maybe it was because he knew that Mello would speak with Lidner. Either way, their contact was his error. He could not admit as such now.

Lidner turned toward her computer when it became clear that Near was not going to say anything to the information she had given. He was unsure of what he could even say. He was not going to tell the woman that her entire conversation with Mello was a way for the blond to mess with Near's emotions. That would lead into a discussion Near was not yet prepared to have. With anyone.

However, he needed to find a way to sever the ties between the two. Near would admit that he disliked losing and he disliked the feeling he got when he realized that Mello had chosen to speak to Lidner instead of him.

"We have Commander Rester on the line," Gevanni said, breaking Near from his thoughts either minutes or hours later.

"Put him through."

The monitor flickered on and Near glanced up at Commander Rester's face. "Near, the NHN announcer is Kiyomi Takada," the man said almost instantly. "She was a classmate of Light Yagami's in college. She was an excellent student and was also on close terms with him, it seems."

Near's eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. So, the new Kira spokesperson had a close connection to Light Yagami. The man was growing very brazen, to do such a thing when he knew that Near suspected him. That was good. The more confident he grew, the more mistakes he would make. "What do you mean by close?" Near finally asked.

"I can't assume anything, but to the people around them, they seemed more than just friends. I can't believe this is a coincidence."

Near stared down at the rubber duck he had in his hand, though he truly wasn't seeing the item. Confidence was the only reason he could see that Yagami would name someone so close to him as Kira's spokesperson. Yagami had to know that Near would discover the connection. He also had to know that the taskforce would seem it odd if he suddenly got in contact with the woman again. And Aizawa had not contacted Near to tell him that that was the case.

"Commander Rester, can you get close to Takada?"

The man seemed hesitant. "I'll give it a try…but like Demegawa, she is…no. It could be because she's a woman. But she is far more heavily protected by the Kira worshippers than Demegawa ever was. To the worshippers, if Kira is their God, then Takada is their goddess…" Rester frowned. "It may be possible for me to get close to her among all the worshippers but Mr. Aizawa and Mogi have seen my face before. They may tell L about our movements."

"You don't have to worry about that," Near sighed, cutting the man off. "You said that she was an excellent student, but that was only her grades. She, herself, is downright stupid." He dropped the rubber duck into the kiddy pool he had Gevanni set up earlier that morning. "There is no reason for the taskforce to get in the way of our investigation. I'm sure they won't tell L that you are a member of the SPK. And if that information is passed to L and you di, then that means that L is Kira. I find it hard to believe that Kira would od such a thing before finding out about Mello and me, unless Kira is in a very tight situation." Near ignored the shocked and disappointed looks he got from Lidner and Gevanni. Well, shocked from Gevanni. Disappointed from Lidner. Near wanted to scowl at the woman. She had no right to judge him. He was beginning to grow very irritated with…

Ah. That could work.

"Gevanni, Lidner, would you like to go to Japan too?" Near asked and both people turned to him in shock. "It's almost certain that the one writing the names in the notebook is in Japan. I think it is a safe call based on the people being killed and from the fact that an announcer from NHN was chosen as the Spokesperson."

The two exchanged a glance. "Very well…"

Arrangements were made for the two to fly to Japan and Near breathed a sigh of relief when he was alone. There were guards, of course, but he was essentially on his own for the first time in his life. Near pulled himself to his feet and set the monitor's so that he would be alerted of any incoming messages, calls, or important information. Then he flopped back down on the floor and began to pull the rubber ducks toward him. He needed a way to get one of his people close to Takada. If he was correct and Misa Amane was no longer the Second Kira, Kira would need someone else on his side. Takada would be in a good position to take over at least some of these duties.

He needed eyes on Takada.

Rester was correct that there was a possibility that he would be recognized. Near had made a logical argument as to why Kira would not kill him but, in truth, that might not matter. Not if Kira was now shameless enough to place an old girlfriend in such a position. There was a chance – though a slight one – that Kira would no longer care to hide himself from Near. Not if he knew he was in a position to win the game.

But did he feel that he was in that position?

Did he truly believe that he had all his cards aligned to win the game?

If he did, Near needed to figure out why he felt as such.

There were pieces of the puzzle missing.

Near's eyes flickered to the loud beeping from the monitors. "Commander Rester?" Near questioned after he turned on the connection.

"Takada had a meeting with someone last night and will be giving a broadcast in the next ten minutes," the man said. Near nodded his head. If the new Kira spokesperson was going to speak out, Near wanted to watch it so he could see how she acted with his own eyes. He stood fiddled with the monitors so he could get the broadcast in question and then sat in what had been Lidner's chair, pulling his knee up to his chest. A pretty young woman came on the screen. "Starting today, I will be introducing you to messages and requests from viewers, as well as expressing my own opinions on some matters."

Near's eyebrows rose. Was this the new plan?

"This is so that by exchanging ideas between Kira and myself, we will be able to make an even more detailed report. Many of the countries and companies claim to support Kira now but that is a mere empty promise. We do not know how they are supporting Kira or should be supporting Kira."

Near's hand found his hair. She was showing her face to Kira and 'talking back' to him. According to Rester, she was not a stupid woman. She did not think that Kira would retaliate. Why would she think that unless she had information or a guarantee that he wouldn't?

"I feel that in order to create a peaceful world as fast as we can, Kira should give orders to the army and police of each country on how they should act. I would like to give a reply to this and…" Near tuned out at the words. Kira give orders to how the police should act? Was this Takada's idea? Her words? Or were they…"

"Rester, find out who Takada saw last night, whatever it takes."

There was a delay in response and Near's eyes narrowed. Rester usually agreed much faster than this. "Well…Kiyomi Takada is being protected unbelievably well and even getting near her is tough. I never expected it to be this hard…" he trailed off and swallowed hard. "A reporter who tried to investigate the meeting last night was caught by the guards and was accused of breaking and entering and was killed by Kira by the 9:00 news…" Near's hand tightened around his rubber duck. Killed? How dull. "Her cell phone is untraceable too, and completely bug proof. She's better guarded than the President of the United States. All her guards are people who've participated in TV programs pertaining to Kira many times, whose backgrounds can be easily traced. It is extremely hard to get in."

Near scowled and twisted his hair. "Gevanni and Lidner should be getting to Japan shortly. Please get near her any way you can."

"I'll do my best," Rester sighed. "She is leaving the studio now."

"Keep me on the line. Follow her and find where she is going."

"I will."

Near moved away from the chair and moved toward the floor once more. He looked down at the kiddy pool and the rubber ducks. He wanted more. He wanted enough to cover the entire body of water so it was not visible. He padded over toward the various boxes piled against the wall and pursed his lips. In one of these boxes were more ducks. He just had to find them. He reached up to grab the top box and pull it down onto the floor before peering inside. Not ducks. The then grabbed the next box. No ducks. He continued the pattern until he finally found a box filled with various bath toys. He began to grab the ducks and toss them toward the pool but…it was taking too long. He scrunched up his nose and pushed the box over, dumping all of the toys out onto the floor. He then dropped down to the ground and picked the ducks up one by one, placing them in the pool.

"Near, Takada went into the Perin Hotel. Until she comes out, nobody is allowed to enter or leave the hotel unless requested by Takada," Rester finally reported. Near sighed. If that was the case, he would not even be able to tell what room she was in.

How irritating.

"Then you're going to have to try and become one of Takada's trusted guards at the very least," Near told him. If that was the only way he was going to get eyes on Takada, it was what they were going to have to do.

"I'll do my best."

A few days later had Near bored and hungry. While it had seemed like a good idea to move the rest of the team to Japan, he had forgotten the fact that he would need to completely fend for himself while they were away. He had limited experience cooking and he honestly did not have the patience to stand there while the food was cooking. He disliked having to get up to answer each call as his team checked in. He disliked that he kept glancing down at his personal phone…and the fact that only two people called him on it.

And he had not heard from either one.

A ringing broke him from his thoughts and Near couldn't help but glance down at his phone. No. He sighed and turned on the monitor. "Commander Rester."

"Near, we're trying to get on Takada's personal bodyguard team but the hurdles are getting higher. We need a little more time."

"Very well, I had a feeling it would be like that." He sighed. It was time for him to go to Japan. "Commander Rester, can you return to New York immediately?"

"I-immediately?"

"I'm coming to Japan."

"…do you mean I'll be in New York while you're gone?"

"No," Near fidgeted and felt an embarrassed flush cross his face.

"Then why do I need to return to New York?"

Near drew his knees up to his chest. "I've never made travel arrangements myself. I want you to come back and then we'll go to Japan together."

"…very well…"

The call ended and Near bit his lip as his eyes landed on his phone once more. He was leaving the country…that was a good enough reason to contact him, right? Just to keep him involved, so he didn't think that Near was keeping things from him again.

The phone rang in his ear and Near felt a rush of disappointment as the ringing continued. Perhaps he should not have called. This was not the first time that he had decided to not contact Mello and then broke before the blonde.

"What?"

"Mello," Near greeted, trying to keep his voice calm as a rush of relief went through his body. "I will be going to Japan within the next few days. I thought it best to keep you-"

"Informed?" Mello scoffed. "Little late for that, don't you think?" There was a loud sigh and Near twirled his hair around his fingers. He was not sure what to say. Was there anything he could say? Anything that could make any of this better? "Whatever," Mello growled after a moment of silence. "Fine. Let me know when you're here."

…wait.

"Mello is in Japan?"

"I told you I was following Mogi and Aizawa," Mello retorted.

"Mello did not say he was going to-"

"I don't have to tell you everything," Mello snapped. "How does it feel to not have all the information, Near?"

"Mello should have said he was going to Japan."

"Yeah, well, you should have told me we were soulmates. Let me know when you get to Japan."