Hey it's Amanda: xD I'm glad you liked it so much! Ahh, yes, Matt just had to be incredibly nonchalant about it, haha~ Yesh, L always has perfect timing, mhmm... Happy to make you laugh! :D Yayy... I got the characters right... You'd be with Matt, eh? Ohoho...

Guest: There will be more Near and Anna eventually, I promise~

Enjoy the extra chapter~

"This is dumb," Ryuk complained. "Like this, we can't make conversation!"

I ignored him. "Well, I'm glad you're still able to have your say in the case," I said to Light, the source of Ryuk's disappointment. "It'd just be unfair if you didn't." Yeah, I thought drily, because I'm the one who's Kira, not you. Joy.

"Yeah," Light agreed as we reached the door. "Although," he added with a frown, "I suppose they have good reason to be cautious of my opinion."

Ryuk chuckled. "Hell yeah they do."

I opened the door. "Still, we're technically not on the case anyway—Hello Near," I greeted in surprise, finding him and Anna sitting on the floor building some sort of structure with blocks. Near had actually used a combination of the blocks and legos to create a larger scale structure.

"Hello," Near greeted without pausing in his building with the legos. "Oh, and Light's here too; what a pleasant surprise."

"Near," Light said confusedly, "what are you doing here?"

"I am here because L invited me."

"L?" Light asked. "He doesn't live here…."

"Would it be better if I said Sam invited me?"

Light blinked.

I looked around. "Where's Sierra? …And Sam? Shouldn't Sam be here?"

"Sierra was kidnapped by Mello again," Near replied calmly, without looking up.

"What?" Light asked in alarm. "Kidnapped?"

I didn't say a word; my eyes only widened.

"Mello got mad and took her away," Anna said, balancing a block carefully atop her tower.

So no one could find him? Light thought.

That's what I think…, I responded. Like L with Sam.

Yeah.

Near looked up at us and stared. "L is off the Kira case," he said simply, and he continued staring, as if judging our reactions.

"What?!" Light snapped. "He's stopping now, after all this time?!"

While Light was angry with L's decision, I had a few conflicting emotions. I did feel as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, as L was, by far, the smartest of the three Wammy boys (four if you counted Matt), and me against all of them would surely be my demise. Without him, and with Mello gone and not cooperating with Near through L any longer, there was more of a chance I could make it. However, I was also kind of irritated, because there was still a part of me that was hoping they'd catch me. Plus, it scared me that this may encourage that part of me to fade, which it already was, though slowly. Then I was also curious as to why he stopped working on the Kira case, because that simply wasn't like him. Had he grown bored with it? Was he more interested with the case in England?

I'm probably supposed to say something, I thought. "Why isn't he working on it anymore?" I asked, sounding concerned.

"He's done with it," Near replied. "That's all you need to know. That is why Mello ran off, and why Sam is not here. Rather, she may be on the plane to Russia by now."

"Russia?" I asked confusedly.

"Is there a case there?" Light asked.

"Yes to both of your questions," said Near, placing one final lego onto his tower. He got to his feet. "May I use one of your cell phones now? I need to call Rester so he can pick me up."

The plane ride to Moscow seemed long for a few reasons. One, Sam lacked something to do. L was not the best candidate for casual conversations, and Sam had nothing to amuse herself with but the large supply of sweets L had. Second, Sam was still very uncomfortable with the knowledge of what had just happened. It made her feel awkward to think of the kiss, and she'd always feel self-conscious, worrying that L knew exactly what she was thinking about. It was no comfort to know he generally did know what she thought about. Not only that, but she found herself growing all too warm whenever the thought popped up, and she felt like the blush was glaringly obvious.

Still, they did make it to Moscow eventually. As the plane went lower to land, Sam stared out the plane window in awe at the sight of the city. She had been expecting a normal city: dull, grey, and business-like. What she saw was actually colorful. There was a beige palace with white-striped domes of mahogany, bright blue, and green atop a multiple turrets. There was an enormous red clock tower with a spire that had a small metal star perched atop it. Beautiful fountains dotted some of the squares, too, making the city seem more natural. Then there were the skyscrapers, which weren't grey or silver as Sam had imagined. Rather, some were a vibrant blue, reflecting the sky, while others were streaked green. "It's… awesome," Sam remarked softly.

"Isn't it?" L replied, mouth full of cake.

On landing, Sam, L, and Roger went to the hotel room Roger had booked. Roger then left to prepare the visit of the crime scene the next day. "The known victim," said L, looking at the computer screen, "is a military officer by the name of Boris Belikov…. Boris Belikov," he repeated to himself. "Hm…."

"It has a nice ring to it," Sam commented. "Alliteration, right?"

"Yes…."

"L?" Sam asked.

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me who it is you suspect for this case?"

L seemed to think about the question for a moment. "I… will tell you the suspect, along with further details of this case, when I see it to be necessary," he replied.

Sam frowned. "Alright…." That's dumb, she thought with a frown.

"Don't think I didn't hear that, Samantha," he said without looking away from the screen, then put a forkful of cake in his mouth.

Near left soon enough, and Light had to leave eventually, leaving Anna and I alone together. I retired early, closing my bedroom door behind me with a soft click, then plopped myself down on the wooden chair by my desk. I just sat there for a second, as though in a daze, then I suddenly slammed my fists on my desk angrily. I'm such an idiot! I thought bitterly. Why did I involve myself in this?! I leaned back, but I soon found the position uncomfortable due to the anxiety. So, I leaned forward and curled my legs upward to hug them to my chest.

"Are you alright, Aunt Natalie?" Anna called from somewhere in the house; maybe downstairs somewhere, or in her room.

"I'm fine!" I called back. "I tripped on a flat surface again!"

Ryuk chuckled. "Are you okay, really?" he asked. "You're still a little shaky on your resolve, aren't you?"

"Please be quiet," I mumbled, then sighed. It's been nearly a week since…. I frowned. "Ryuk," I muttered, "it's not the fact that I'm doing this that bothers me anymore."

"Oh?"

I gazed ruefully at the desk and the dark lines embedded in its wood. "It's the fact I'm starting to care less."

"Getting used to it is what you're supposed to do!" Ryuk responded as though it were obvious. …Which it kinda was, in some way.

"Well your word isn't going to help, considering you're a shinigami," I hissed. "It's like you were born to kill. You're not even human. I am."

"Eh, that's a point, but I've observed human life a lot. I can't say I understand humanity, but I've watched it for years."

I rose an eyebrow, turning in my chair.

"There's nothing to do in the Shinigami Realm!" he defended. "My world is rotten, you know."

I rolled my eyes and turned back to gaze at my desk. "'Rotten,'" I repeated, seeing what the word sounded like, what it felt like to say it. "Is that what this world is? What my world is?"

"That's the spirit!" Ryuk cheered.

"Shut up," I muttered, getting to my feet and grabbing my laptop. It is true that there are people who hurt other people. It's humanity. I made my way towards the closet to head to the attic; the daily judgment was due. It is also true that there is a sense of balance to it all, good and bad, light and dark, innocence and malevolence…. Still, it isn't quite fair that some people have to suffer while others don't. It's like the bad people – killers, rapists, and the like – are choosing who keeps their innocence and who loses it too early. I frowned as I reached the top of the steps. It's not fair, though, is it? No…. Imagine, Natalie, if Anna were to lose her innocence. It would be horrible…. And to think that's happening – has been happening – makes me… it makes me mad. They have no right to take people's innocence away or cut someone's life short. As I reached the desk in the attic, I placed my hand on the charred Death Note. Perhaps I'm doing it for better after all. I fingered the friendship bracelet Sam had given me all those years ago. Engraved in the metal piece of it were the words, 'Dreams become reality one choice at a time.' Is this the choice that will make the dream of a better world come true? I wondered.

I set the laptop on the desk, heaving a sigh, and flipped it open to turn it on. I riffled through the notebook to the next clean page and tapped my pen at the paper impatiently as I waited for the laptop to turn on. It seemed to take awhile, but I was soon on an American news site to find criminals. From a green plastic bowl that I kept up here, Ryuk took an apple and munched on it happily. After Ryuk downed all the apples – which was pretty quickly – the only sound was the scribbling of my pen, the dull whistle of the wind, and the sound of my own breathing.

"Uh, hey," said Ryuk eventually, "I think there's someone coming up here."

This snapped me from my concentration, as my focus turned to that of the creaking of the stairs. In all honesty, the knowledge that someone was coming up scared the crap out of me. Then, since there was only one other person in my house…. Anna? I thought worriedly. Oh, no…. She can't find out about this…. I looked at the notebook with wide eyes. I need to put that in the drawer and get rid of the window on the computer of the American news site. I swallowed. I, unfortunately, was frozen. I couldn't move. Why?

"You might want to do something," Ryuk commented.

The doorknob turned, and I stiffened. The door opened with a stern sense of urgency. There was an odd sense of relief when I saw it was none other than Light, not Anna, but then it returned to me that he wasn't on my side right now and the tension circled back. I stood up.

Light stared at the Note, then slowly shook head. "Natalie…. I know I have no right to say, 'How could you?' but…." He looked at me. "I don't want this, Natalie. If you're doing this for me, that isn't me anymore. If it is for me… stop. You're killing people!" he cried, stepping forward, perhaps to take the Note away from me so I couldn't do it anymore…. An idea occurred to me.

I fumbled to pick up the notebook. "Uh, catch!" I yelped, then tossed the Death Note at him.

He caught it before it hit him smack in the face – I don't have the best aim – and he cried out as if the thing was burning him. Still, he didn't let go, and soon the purity in his eyes was replaced with that odd something that's impossible to place. An interesting glint, a determined fire, a sense of darkness that was also a sort of… spark. There was a moment of silence, and I found myself holding my breath.

He looked up at me, his lips curling into a smile. "You tried to burn it," he said. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

I blinked. He gets his memories back, and the first thing he does is accuse me of trying to burn the Note. Still, I nodded in confirmation. "But I stopped," I added.

"I can see that."

"Hi, Light!" Ryuk greeted.

"Hello, Ryuk," Light responded, straightening up and holding out the notebook to the shinigami. "Here. Drop it so both Natalie and I can obtain ownership. Natalie, permit him to do so."

"Why?" I asked.

"When I let go, all memory of my being Kira dissipates…. However, I will remember finding you here, judging as Kira."

"Oh, there's a point," I said with a blink. "Ryuk, make it so we're both owners."

"Got it," said Ryuk, then lifted the Note from Light's grasp. Light's eyes misted in confusion, then widened and blinked. He opened his mouth to speak just as Ryuk dropped the notebook into his hands. Light let out a yelp as his memories rushed back again. I just watched; what else could I do?

Light sighed. "That's a bit disorienting, isn't it?" he remarked with an elegant smirk. He walked up calmly and handed the Note back to me. "Now then…." I set the notebook down on the desk. "Natalie, I have to say you need to work on blocking your thoughts and feelings. I noticed something was wrong…. Although, perhaps it's better I get my memories back right now, as I have two things to ask of you; part of the plan, of course."

I nodded. Despite myself – hell, despite everything – I was glad he had his memories back. The weight had been lifted from my shoulders and shifted to his, at least for the moment. It was nice to have someone else make the decisions, to have a higher authority. I didn't much like standing alone; now I had someone to look up to, someone to look to for answers. Something in the back of my head nagged at me, asking me whatever happened to when I wanted him without his memories and pure. It was ignored. Fleeting and insignificant.

"First… listen to me all the way through before you refuse either request, alright?"

"Alright," I agreed hesitantly. Does that mean he'll try to convince me with his freakishly charismatic ways?

He chuckled. "No, Natalie, I'll just tell you my reasoning."

I frowned. "Go ahead."

"The first thing is that I want you to make the eye trade." I opened my mouth to protest, but he continued, "Your lifespan is inconsistent, so it's highly unlikely the trade will affect your lifespan at all. It would be best, though, to try to make the trade while your lifespan is at its lowest." He looked to the shinigami. "You can do that, right Ryuk?"

"Uh, yeah," Ryuk replied. "As long as I don't tell her how long she has at any point."

"I don't know if I want the Shinigami eyes, though…," I said slowly.

"It's alright if you decide not to," he said nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter in the long run. If you don't, I'll just bring Misa back in and ask her to make the trade again."

"But that would half her life!" I cried. "She'd be affected, unlike me!"

"She'd still be willing," he answered. "It's up to you."

Poo you, I thought with a frown.

"Second… I want you to make Mello a criminal."

"Make Mello a criminal?" I asked. My eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you telling me you want me to kill him?"

"No, no, you don't have to kill him. I told you you wouldn't have to kill anyone like Mello or Near, didn't I?" I didn't respond, and he smiled. "Mello ran off again, and therefore we don't know his whereabouts or what he's planning. He's unpredictable and not on our side; therefore he's dangerous. So… all you need to do is obtain his location from Sierra, promising not to tell anyone, then use that to manipulate a criminal with the Death Note to be killed by Mello. Then, he'll be considered a criminal, and the police will be after him, which will keep him at least somewhat occupied. This slightly decreases the threat he makes."

I pulled my lips into a thin line. Mello's smart, I thought. He won't be bested by the police…. It would probably only slow him down a little; perhaps it's more like a small bother to him. Still… this might lessen the threat, too, and there's no harm in it; he's already a murderer…. But then, Sierra is with him, and that might put her in danger….

"I'm sure Sierra will be fine," Light assured me.

I frowned. "Alright…," I said slowly. "I'll do the whole Mello thing… but… I'm still not so sure about the eyes."

He smiled. "That's fine." He looked back to the open door. "I should probably be going back down, though. My excuse for coming back was because I forgot something. Can I have the notebook and Ryuk for Misa if you should decide against making the eye trade?"

"Uh…." I handed the notebook to Light again. "Sure; here."

If I didn't know any better, I would say the smile he gave was kind. But I did know better, so I can't say that. "You're doing well," he assured softly. I almost thought he was going to give me a pat on the head or something, like I was a little kid who got a good grade in school, but he just turned around, sliding the Note into his jacket and gesturing for Ryuk to come along.

Hello again, Light...

Fun Fact: You know, as I wrote out all this... As Natalie's views slowly changed, my own were starting to shift as well. o-o I don't think that's a good thing, though...

Review? For Russia!