That was a near thing.

Near stared down at the bed, his fingers snagged painfully in his hair. Light Yagami's chest rose and fell with the rhythm of the ventilator, his lower face obscured by tubes and a strap. The contraption reminded Near painfully of a gag, but Light seemed to be at peace, the tense lines of his face slackened by unconsciousness. One arm lay outstretched on the bed, crisscrossed by IV lines and medical tape. The other rested atop Light's stomach, the puckered bullet scar plain to see. Part of Near wanted to touch him, to feel the man's pulse for himself, but the eyes of his teammates held him back. He wouldn't want me to touch him, anyway. Not after this.

This is my fault.

"He'll wake up," said Matsuda quietly. "He has to."

"You don't know that," said Ide.

"He survived the warehouse. He'll survive this."

"It's encouraging he made it this long," put in Lidner. "If not for Gevanni..."

She trailed off, glancing over at the second bed. Weakly, Gevanni shook his head, shifting position against his pillows. "It was my fault she got to him at all. I should have seen her coming."

"None of us saw her coming," said Near. "I have no complaint with your performance. You did what you could."

"Doesn't feel like it."

"You had the presence of mind to play dead after being shot, despite being caught by surprise, and the fact you made it to the monitors with those injuries is remarkable. If you hadn't been there to hit the override, Light and the girl would be dead."

"How do you feel?" Rester asked.

"Right now? Drugged. In general?" Gevanni smiled weakly. "You weren't kidding about being shot, Rester. It hurts like hell."

Rester grinned back. "Once Light wakes up, I'm sure he'll be sympathetic."

If Light wakes up. Much as Near wanted to believe, Light's doctor had been less than sanguine. "He's stablized, and that's a good sign," the man had said, "but the damage to his lungs is serious. Depending on how long he went without oxygen, the damage to his brain may be as well. Right now, there's no way to know."

There's no way to know.

"Might be better if he didn't," said Aizawa. "Stop breathing for too long—"

"We don't know how long he wasn't breathing," said Matsuda.

"We can guess, and it isn't good. Even if he does wake up, there's no guarantee that's still Light in there. You think a man like that would want to live as a vegetable? Better for him to die in peace than survive like that."

Near tensed. "Rester."

"Yes?"

"Please punch Mr. Aizawa in the face for me."

Aizawa's face darkened. "That isn't funny."

"It wasn't a joke. Rester, please punch—"

"No, L." Rester's voice was firm. "I will not."

For a moment, no one moved. Then Matsuda broke the silence. "His mother should be here."

"No. No way," said Ide. "That's the last thing we need."

"But he needs her. She's his mother. You've seen his room; you know he misses them. He's earned that much, hasn't he?"

"It's not a matter of what he's earned," said Lidner. "Libra knows we're here, and he's already targeted this place once. Light wouldn't thank us for putting his mother in danger."

Near eyed Light's hand again, guilty. "She's right."

"But he might be dying!" protested Matsuda. "She may never get another chance!"

"All the more reason not to tell her. She already had to grieve her son once. It would be cruel to bring her here just to lose him again." Please, let this be the right choice. "Once we have Libra in custody and Light is out of danger, I'll ask him what he wants. But right now, we're in as much danger as he is. The last thing we need is an emotional civilian underfoot."

"But—"

Mogi put a hand on the agent's shoulder. "He's not going anywhere, Matsuda. It can wait."

"Libra can't," said Gevanni. "The moment he gets back to that Death Note and realizes his plan failed—"

"He'll write both their names, just to be safe. Light and the girl." Near gave his hair a vicious jerk. "I know."

"We can arrest him again," said Ide. "Bring him back here."

"Not without firm evidence, we cant," said Rester wearily. "Senator Wolff cancelled his campaign events to be at his son's bedside. If we try to arrest him at the hospital, we'll have a national news story and a Congressional inquiry on our hands."

"Which means Light's dead either way." Gevanni shifted on his pillows. "Dead, or imprisoned beyond our control."

Near nodded. "That seems likeliest, yes."

A hush fell over the agents, every eye fixed on Light Yagami's bed. Only the rhythmic hiss-beep of the ventilator disrupted the silence, each repetition another dagger in Near's conscience. Though he had managed to bribe or threaten into silence the local officers who had come to Light and Gevanni's aid, a sitting senator would be far harder to intimidate. If he pursued Nick Wolff without evidence, he would lose Light just as surely—and his credibility as L, besides. If they find Light here, he's not the only one they'll send to prison. But I owe Light a peaceful death, at the very least, and Libra won't give him one. I know that much.

He hadn't been shocked to find Death Note paper in the woman's pockets—thankfully, the police had obeyed Near's orders not to search her clothes themselves—but reading the death Libra had intended or him had chilled him to his bones. Suicide. Upon witnessing the deaths of his team, becomes consumed by feelings of guilt and failure. Writes out a suicide note apologizing for his interference in the Libra and Kira cases and explaining where to find Kira's Death Note, then leaves that note on his desk, leaves his headquarters, and commits suicide in such a way that his body will not be found. Compared to the fate Libra had planned for Light, it was almost merciful, yet it struck unnervingly close to home. I would have finished what my mother started—walked into the river and weighed myself down. Would I have known I was being controlled, or thought it was all my own idea? Near wasn't sure which possibility was worse. He was only glad he would never find out.

Because of Light.

Light's handwriting had been rushed and shaky, but his plan had been neither. The names of the Task Force were correct but misspelled, various kanji swapped for homonyms to disguise what he was up to. For Near's team, Light had gotten more creative: Stephen Penber. Halle Kenwood. Anthony Ruvie.

Michael Kale.

"What do we do now?" Mogi asked softly.

I don't know. "We wait."

"For what?"

"Libra," said Lidner. "His plans just fell through, too. He let us find him thinking we wouldn't live long enough to do anything about it, and he's lost his accomplice to boot. He'll make a move once he's out of the hospital, I'm sure of it."

Near nodded. "She's right. Light just handed us a clear advantage. There's no point in doing anything until we have some idea what he'll do now."

"He'll murder Light, that's what he'll do." Ide's face was hard. "It's what Light would have done."

"He saved our lives," said Matsuda.

"This time. Doesn't erase what he did before."

"We have the notebook scraps," said Mogi. "If we have a sample of Nick Wolff's handwriting, we can compare—"

"I did," said Near. "It's not his handwriting. Unless I miss my guess, he dictated the descriptions and left the writing to his accomplice, in case she was caught."

"So you're saying we have nothing?" said Aizawa.

"We have his name," said Gevanni quietly.

"That's basically nothing."

"By itself, maybe. But with a face—"

"No." Near rubbed his hair between his fingers, disquieted. "That's not how we do things."

"It's the only way to get to him before he gets to Light," Gevanni said.

"And if Wolff drops dead in a hospital right after we interrogated and drugged him, Light dies either way," said Lidner. "And we all go to prison, most likely, once they find out we've been harboring a mass-murderer."

Mass-murderer. Near's eyes flicked to Light, but the comatose prisoner didn't react. "We need to leave."

"What, right now?" Ide asked.

"Yes. We'll relocate to the house we interrogated Libra in, and make that our headquarters for now. We'd be fools to stay here now that it's clear Libra knows where we are."

Rester frowned. "We can't move Light or the others. Someone's going to have to stay here."

"No. Two someones." Near picked nervously at his shirt. "Libra's last plan depended on us leaving only a single guard behind. It's unlikely he'll try the same trick twice, but just in case—"

"I'll stay," said Matsuda.

"As will I," said Lidner. "Once Gevanni's feeling up to it, I'll send him to join you. Assuming the case isn't closed by then."

Near nodded. "Thank you both."

"You'll have to be careful," said Aizawa. "We know Libra got to our security system. If he's monitoring our communications, too—"

"The cameras are all turned off, and I had Rester tape over the lenses. I can't do anything about the footage he already has, but he won't be seeing anything new." Near turned to Matsuda and Lidner. "Beyond that, nobody touches the computers or the landline phone for any reason. If you must get in touch with us, do it by prepaid cell only. Lidner, I'll leave one with you, and Rester will have the other. Any communication between here and the temporary base will go through you two. Understood?"

Matsuda nodded. "Understood."

"Good. Rester, Lidner, I'd like a word. Everyone else, collect your things. We may be roughing it for a while."

The assembled agents filtered out, silent and solemn. Near rested a hand on Light's bedrail, the other knotted in his hair. The last time he'd seen Light like this, he'd been indifferent, more concerned with information than Light's survival. Now, he felt hollow and cold, a yawning, black pit where his intestines used to be.

Please wake up. Please.

"Near?"

He raised his head. "Hmm?"

Lidner smiled weakly. "You wanted to talk to us?"

"Yes. The moment Light wakes up, call me. If he can tell me exactly what happened downstairs, that might be enough to put Libra away. The sooner I can talk to him, the better."

"I'll tell Matsuda."

"Thank you. Rester, find Ryuk and come with me."

"Where are we going?" Rester asked.

Reluctantly, Near turned away from the bed. "To save Light's life."

Libra's accomplice raised her head from the bed as they entered, her round face sallow but full of resolve. "What do you want?"

"I have a few questions for you," said Near. "How are you feeling?"

"Lousy. What do you care?"

"I don't, actually. Just trying to be polite." Hands in his pockets, the detective peered down at her with distaste. Taller than me, but still short. Baby-faced. Not as pretty as Misa, but she has the same eyes. Excluding the glasses, of course. "What do you know about Libra?"

"You're L, aren't you?"

"I am. And you are?"

She lay back, her hands clenching in their restraints. "I'm not talking to you."

"Fair enough. I can answer for you." He took a step toward the bed, gratified to see her shrink back. "Your name is Julia Nguyen. You turned twenty this month. Your father lives in Virginia but works in D.C.; your mother is dead. You're a sophomore at Hayes College. 3.2 average. Isn't that right?"

She bit her lip. "How did you—?"

"One of my associates contacted the Hayes registrar. Once we had your name and home address, it was easy to find the rest."

"But—"

"Your major is financial math. You have no siblings. You run the Hayes College Chess Club, and your tournament play is impressive for a woman of your age. Oh, and in your free time, you've been complicit in the murder of several thousand people. Are you ready to talk to me now, or should I go on?"

The girl stared at him a moment, horrorstruck, then turned her head away. "I want a lawyer."

"Your boyfriend said the same."

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"Your partner, then. Libra."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I have video footage of you gunning down one of my agents, and two sheets of Death Note paper were found in your pockets. Don't try my patience, Ms. Nguyen. I don't need Kira's testimony to lock you away for the rest of your life."

She wet her lip. "You want me to make a deal with you."

"It would be wise of you, yes."

"I'm not interested."

"I see." Near eyed her with distaste. "You do realize he'll kill you, correct?"

"You sound like Kira."

Light told you that? "You should have listened. Kira's a smart man."

"Is, or was?"

"Is." For now. "As is your other intended victim, Agent Gevanni. This would be an entirely different conversation if that weren't true."

"You'd get the same answers, though. Libra won't leave me here. Once Ryuk tells him about the eyes—"

"You'll already be dead. As soon as Nick Wolff leaves the hospital and realizes you and Kira aren't at your rendezvous point, he'll kill you both to make sure I can't use you as witnesses. It's the only logical step for him to take."

"You're wrong."

"That's possible. I have been wrong before, albeit infrequently." Near resisted the urge to pick at his shirt. "If it were only your life at stake, I'd be willing to gamble, but I have no intention of putting Kira in danger again. Tell me where to find your Death Note, and I'll make sure you and Libra both survive. You have my word."

"Survive how? Locked up in cages, like you did Kira?"

"That's how prison generally works, yes."

"Get out."

"Is that a refusal?"

"Yes. I have nothing to say to you. Get out."

"That's unfortunate." Reaching for his hair, Near turned grimly to Rester. "Get the information out of her. I don't have time for this."

"How?"

"The same way we handled Kira. Take away her oxygen, for a start, then move on to more direct methods if needed. We can't afford to sit around and wait."

Rester's face was hard. "You want me to torture her?"

"If she insists on it, yes. Whatever it takes, Rester. Worst come to worst, she's not the only one with a Death Note."

"You're bluffing," blurted the girl, horrified. "You can't do that, you're not..."

Near raised an eyebrow at her, his voice dripping with contempt. "Now you sound like Kira."

"No. You can't. You can't—"

"I'm out of patience, Ms. Nguyen. Tell me where the notebook is, and I'll protect you and Libra both. Otherwise, I'll make sure whatever harm comes to Light comes to him, too. All of it. Do you understand?"

She stared back at him, her eyes wide with fear and her lips pressed firmly together. After a moment, Rester cleared his throat.

"L, a word outside?"

"Of course."

Near gave the woman one last, withering look, then stalked out. Rester followed a moment later, shutting the door gently behind him.

"I trust your judgment, Near, you know that. But if you expect me to torture a bedridden girl—"

"Of course I don't. I just want her to think you will." Near turned to Ryuk. "You heard all of that?"

"Hyuk. Most of it."

"Good. Go in and talk to her, but don't mention you talked to me. Remind her that she can give up the notebook any time she likes. If she's at all intelligent, she'll take you up on it."

Rester frowns. "If she gives up the notebook, she loses her memories. She'll be useless to us."

"Not useless. The only chance to persuade Libra not to kill them both is to convince him they're already dead. Ryuk's word might be credible enough to convince him, but if he goes back to retrieve the notebook and Julia Nguyen is still the owner—"

"He'll know she's still alive, and Ryuk is lying." Rester glanced up at the shinigami. "Can we trust him?"

"Depends," said Ryuk. "What's in it for me?"

"Entertainment," Near said flatly. "If Libra kills Light, he'll own both notebooks. You won't be able to come spy on us anymore."

"You're moving out. Light's staying here. Seems to me that's true either way."

Near's jaw clenched. "He's kept you amused for years. The least you can do is—" Ryuk's laughter cut through his words, cold and harsh. Unnerved, Near reached for his hair. "I don't see the humor."

"You. Worrying about Light. Hyuk." The shinigami shook his head, still grinning. "Funny how humans work."

Very funny. "He's my responsibility."

"That's your problem. Don't see how it's mine."

"I'll make it yours. If he dies, I'll burn the notebook. Both notebooks. You'll never get another chance to come down here."

"Never, heh? That's an awfully long time. You plan to live forever, Nate River?"

No. Near jerked his hair. "I'll put out a bushel of apples for you. Once a week, from now until Light dies. However long or short that may be."

Ryuk tilted his head, considering. "What kind of apples?"

"Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp. Juicy ones."

"A full bushel?"

"It's a bribe. I have no reason to cheat you."

"Starting today?"

"I'll send Rester out right now."

"Hmm." The shinigami studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Deal."

"You'll do what I asked you to?"

"Yeah, sure. Hyuk. Why not."

Near's breath left him in a silent torrent. Thank the cosmos. "Rester, if you wouldn't mind..."

"Apples and prepaid cell phones. I'm on it."

"Thank you."

Rester walked away, but Ryuk's eyes never left Near. "Never thought I'd see the day you and Light were friends."

"I don't have friends. Just people I pay or force to be here."

"Heh. Sounds like something Light would say."

It was. "Are you going to earn your apples or not?"

"Sure, sure. Just enjoying the moment." Ryuk leaned in, his bulging irises alight with malicious glee. "He called for you, you know that? At the end. Kept staring at the door like he expected you to come in and save him. Never saw that coming, heh. Every time I think I've figured him out...well, you know the feeling, don't you?"

"I do." Near's fingers were clenched on his shirt hem, his voice clipped and cold. "Talk to Julia, then get out. I don't want to see you go near him again."

"I can't promise you that."

"Get out."

Ryuk stared at him a moment longer, hesitating, then vanished through Julia's door. Shaking, Near hugged himself and rocked on the balls of his feet, his nails digging into the skin of his arms. I let this happen. I let this happen. What do I do now? Light might have known, would have had some idea, but there was no way for Near to ask him. For the first time in three years, he was truly on his own.

What do I do?

Still shaking, Near walked away.

"Near, wake up."

Near raised his head groggily from his sleeping bag, glaring at Rester. "I just fell asleep."

"I know. You have a phone call."

Sunlight leaked around the blinds as Near sat up stiffly, rubbing his eyes. Sleeping away from his headquarters was always hard, but in the past he'd at least had beds. Lying on the floor of an unfurnished room had made the task nearly impossible. The last time I spent the night in an empty room was in London, and that wasn't by choice. Or alone. He'd grown calluses over that memory, tried to ignore it, but it hadn't been enough. Lying awake, the guilt had choked him worse than any water ever had.

I promised him this wouldn't be London. I failed.

"What's wrong?" Near asked.

"Matsuda's asking for you. Says it's important."

"Light's awake?"

"I didn't ask. He's calling from a computer, not the cell phone. I told him to hang up and get Halle, but—"

Damn it, Matsuda. Near held out his hand. "Give me the phone."

Rester handed it over without a word, his face grave. Tense, Near pressed it to his ear. "You're using the wrong phone."

"I know, I'm sorry, but Lidner's got the cell phone and she isn't—you told us to call you when Light woke up, but—"

Libra could hear this, you idiot! "He's awake?"

"He was, but he didn't—he started choking on the ventilator, so I took it out, but he wasn't lucid, and Ryuk—Ryuk said—"

"Ryuk came back?" Dread seized Near's mind like a riptide, dragging him down into panic. "Let me talk to Light. Now."

"I can't. Don't you get it? I'm trying to—"

"I don't care what you're trying to do! Let me talk to Light. Now, damn it."

"I can't," Matsuda repeated, his voice shaking. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. Light's gone, Near. He died a few minutes ago."