Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.

Mello didn't realize how weird it was to see himself on the screen until he did. Sure, it was essentially just drawn pictures of him, but it was different from that one time Matt had reprogramed a video game so that the character looked a lot like him. When their lips moved and his voice came out, it unnerved him. Especially since they were sentences he'd never said before.

He scowled when it was revealed that it was only December when they were told of L's death. That was only a few months away.

They didn't really have a way of knowing exactly when the events were occurring. Even though Light said he was going to share his suspicions about the Yotsuba group soon, that didn't mean that the events were that soon. But this scene was confirmation that they were close, that if this video was a few weeks later it would have been too late for L.

He flinched as the future him got upset. It was almost exactly what he had said when they'd watched L die, except he didn't know that Kira was behind it. Future him got mad and reached over the desk to jostle the old man. He looked ready to keep yelling when Near decided to overturn his puzzle, interrupting his tirade and reminding him of his presence.

The all white puzzle with the letter L. A gift from the great detective himself, which was why Near kept solving it despite being able to do it in minutes.

"If you can't win the game, if you can't solve the puzzle, then you're just a loser."

He involuntarily growled at that sentence, and future him froze. Not that what Near said was wrong, but it came off like he didn't care, that suddenly L didn't matter because he didn't win.

"They're not showing his eyes."Matt muttered before he could work himself up.

Hidden eyes, hidden emotions. That was a reoccurring pattern within the show. Right, he reminded himself. He didn't know how Near was feeling. He was always better at controlling his emotions, but that didn't mean he didn't have them.

Roger revealed that L hadn't picked between them, asking if they could work together. What L had always intended for them. If only he'd known that L had known he was going to die, then he would have figured out his intentions. Mello crossed his arms, knowing what was about to happen.

"Mello, listen, you too, Near. Can't the two of you work together?"

He looked horrified at the prospect of working together. Near tilted his head,"New music."

"Alright. Sounds good."

"It'll never work, Roger."

It was new music. A guitar, but with lower notes and a different melody, just enough to be different from Kira's. Considering he was the main focus of this scene, he assumed this was his music. Still, it was the same instrument, as if he and Kira were cut from the same cloth.

Light Yagami had needed a Death Note, something of supernatural origin with never before seen power, to convince him to make all his mistakes.

He didn't need anything.

He watched himself say that they didn't get along, that the two of them had always competed, even though it had always just been him trying to prove he was better. After a pause he decided that Near should be the one to succeed L, like he had always thought would happen. He admitted to his own inability to be objective and almost made it sound like an insult that Near could.

"And as for me, I'm leaving this institution."

It finally showed Near's eyes as he closed the door behind him on his way out. They were cold, but he almost looked angry. Though if that was at himself for leaving or because Kira had killed L…either way it was a display of something.

"I wonder if I'm going with you."Matt said.

"You'd leave with me?"Mello asked.

"Of course I would."His best friend looked at him,"All you have to do is ask."

He probably wouldn't ask. He'd just found out that L had died, the last thing he'd want to do is ask his best friend to risk his life as well. As long as he stayed away from the investigation, he was safe. Besides, it was too much to ask him to leave Wammy's.

"Not that either of you will have to leave."Near pointed out.

Mello didn't say anything to that. Even if the Kira investigation ended here, there was always the next case, and the one after that. They were bound to disagree at some point, it was only natural since they were two different people. No amount of respect for each other would stop them from fighting if their plans were incompatible.

The scene switched to show an American flag. He recognized the room as the oval office, and nodded. So the current president would win for his second term, nice to know. But that meant that Near was doing as he said he would, aiming to work with the FBI and CIA. He still thought the investigation would go by faster if they worked with criminals.

It would mean a lot more dirty work, but he knew the first rank didn't care. Just like he didn't. As long as they got what they wanted in the end, as long as they defeated Kira, then they would do whatever it took.

Even if it made him terrified of what he could do…it wasn't enough to stop him. Not now.

"Near's got his own music too."Matt said happily.

Of course the youngest had the synthetic piano. It wasn't the same as L's, but it was similar. Just like the two of them were similar, except, like the differences in pianos, Near was more mechanical. Not that he meant that as an insult anymore.

Near found out about the Death Note from one of the police officers that had assisted with Higuchi's arrest. He informed the president of the US that the Japanese police force were in possession of said notebook, and that the future L was fake. After being called the true successor, the Americans created their own Kira investigation task force.

The SPK, the special provision for Kira, made up of people Near picked.

Whereas he was who the fuck knew where, doing who the fuck knew what, but he was pretty sure if it was something good he'd be being shown like Near.

Fuck. They were supposed to be on the same side. They were supposed to be fighting Kira, not each other.

But of course he was fucking everything up. Just like he knew he always would.

Matsuda tilted his head at his future self,"I look weird with shorter hair."

"You do."Aizawa agreed,"Somehow, you manage to look younger in five years."

He hummed in agreement. Light certainly didn't. His shoulders had broadened a little more, and he looked more handsome than his younger, prettier face. He sighed at his frustration. He was complaining about who Kira should kill to the two Kiras and his boss. They talked about Kira until Mrs. Yagami interrupted, asking them if they could take a break for one afternoon.

Then Sayu came in, and whoa did she get pretty. He suddenly wanted to see a picture of the Chief and his wife when they were younger, because both their children were unfairly attractive.

He blushed when his future self blushed, and suddenly he was glad that they had rearranged themselves. He was no longer sitting next to the Chief but on the opposite end of their row. Mogi hopefully wouldn't hurt him, and he could hide behind his larger frame. Light sent him an amused look, but it was nowhere near as intimidating as the one his boss had on screen.

He hated when his glasses caught the light and hid his eyes.

"Geez. Sayu, you're all grown up. And pretty."

"Are you interested in actually being my brother?"Light asked.

He made a noise he didn't know was possible for humans. At least none of them pointed out that this meant he was still single in five years.

"I'll never let Sayu marry a cop!"

His head shot up, seeing his chance for revenge,"Would you let Light marry Ryuzaki?"

"Matsuda."Light blushed, ruining the glare he tried to send him.

"What?"He asked innocently, glad that their attention was on him instead of future him accidentally calling Mrs. Yagami mom,"He's like a next level cop, right?"

"You're right."The Chief smirked,"But I've already talked to Light about how I feel about him and Ryuzaki."

"Dad!"The teenager protested.

"When was this discussion?"Ryuzaki inquired.

The Chief opened his mouth to answer, but Light cut him off,"That doesn't matter."

"It's rude to talk about people behind their backs, Light."The great detective said.

"It doesn't matter."The college student stubbornly repeated, missing that future him was now crying on his table because Sayu had called him old. He wasn't that old! He still had plenty of time to meet someone! He bet it was because of the Kira investigation that he didn't have any time to date.

"A heartwarming scene from the most unfortunate family in the world."

Any cheer he'd felt faded, as they returned their attention to the screen. Sure, Kira was cursed with misfortune, but Sayu and Mrs. Yagami weren't that involved with him. Nothing bad should happen to them, right?

The Chief got a phone call, and they were off. On their way to headquarters they were informed that someone had kidnapped the Director. A little bit later future Aizawa informed them that the kidnappers wanted the Death Note in exchange for the Director. The situation got serious too fast for him to even be happy that Ide had returned to their group.

"You grew facial hair."Matt noted.

"I don't think it looks bad."Aizawa defended immediately.

"It doesn't. It's just weird."

It was a little weird. Still, not any stranger than himself with shorter hair. The Chief leaned forward,"Do you think it was your people, Near?"

The only people they had been shown that knew about the Death Note outside of them were Near's people. It would make sense that he'd be behind the kidnapping, and America sometimes went to some pretty drastic lengths in the name of national security.

The white haired kid paused in twirling his hair,"No. I doubt even the CIA would allow me to abduct another agency's director."

"It's probably me."Mello admitted with a scowl,"Anything Near could find I could find."

As if to confirm what the heirs said, the next scene showed an FBI agent wanting to talk to the Director about handing over the notebook to help their Kira investigation. The Chief, once again, assumed that it was them behind the kidnapping, and when the agent got confused it went to Near, whose people looked confused while he listened apathetically, easily deducing the situation.

The scene then briefly showed the Director cuffed to a chair, before it turned to Mello, a few years older, probably taller, but definitely Mello. He dramatically took a bite from his chocolate bar as those he was working with started talking. The Director had told them who had gone to work with L originally, but he couldn't say anything about the Death Note. That earned him some taunts.

But he couldn't be mad about the insults to his organization. It's not like they could succeed with Kira working for them.

Matt's snickering, likely brought on by the ridiculous coat Mello was wearing, ended at one line.

"If he was able to bring us the head of a mafia boss-"

"So you did join the mafia."The kid in the striped shirt said.

"I warned you I might."Mello replied.

"Yeah, but that means I'm probably not with you."Matt sighed.

"I will be the best! I don't care what it takes. I'll beat Near by any means necessary."

"I really am an idiot."Mello muttered loudly.

"This hasn't happened yet."Ryuzaki reminded his heir, but he didn't reply.

The next scene showed that the deputy director had died, but it also revealed more of Mello's outfit. He had on a deep red vest that didn't cover his entire torso, tight black pants, and the rosary he was wearing now. Matt sighed,"I can't take you seriously if you're wearing that."

Ridiculous outfit or no, he still correctly deduced that Kira didn't know about them and therefore couldn't kill them. He also knew that Kira knew that Takimura was kidnapped, which limited the amount of people Kira could be.

"So, what're we gonna do, Mello?"

There was barely any hesitation.

"We're gonna kidnap Soichiro Yagami's daughter, Sayu Yagami."

Both the Chief and Light tensed at that statement, and he hoped Ryuk was wrong about misfortune befalling them.

L took Light's hand in his as the scene moved on. As much as he worried for his heirs since they weren't working together, at least they were still geniuses and had the support of the organizations they'd joined should they get into any trouble. Sayu wasn't a genius. She was normal, and normal people were forever changed by kidnappings. Especially since he knew that Mello wasn't bluffing.

Kira realized that the kidnappers could come after them, but it wasn't until after Misa's slight distraction that he realized that their families were also in danger. As soon as he realized that the Chi-no, the Deputy Director got a phone call from the Director's phone. It was Mello, naturally, informing them that the Director was dead and that the new deal was for Sayu.

"This hasn't happened, Light."He whispered the reminder to him.

"It easily could."The college student replied,"If not for the Death Note, then because Dad is the Deputy Director, and if that isn't dangerous enough, if anyone finds out who I am while I'm working with you there will definitely be people coming after her."

Which was why he only allowed other orphans to try to take his place. He didn't want any unfortunate family members to suffer. He squeezed his hand, because he couldn't promise that something like this would never happen. No matter how hard they tried to protect her, without severely limiting her freedom there would always be a risk.

"I can't believe they'd go this far."

He both could and could not. He had used family members against suspects before, but never as hostages. It was Aiber's pregnant wife that had convinced him to give up his schemes as a conman and pursue more legitimate lines of work. But besides the torture of Light and Misa, which they were technically guilty though they didn't remember, he did not harm innocents.

It seemed his heirs had not learned that.

"I've just realized something. I think it was Kira who killed the director, not the kidnappers.

L perked up in his seat. That was an interesting thing to say. It meant that they would be leaving the police out of this one, but also that Kira couldn't kill her without narrowing the suspect pool even further. He'd thought that Kira would send a warning out to all the police under the pretense of trying to stop the kidnappers from fleeing the country with Sayu, just so he had the option of killing her.

Did Kira not consider the possibility of killing her? Was there a part of him that hesitated to kill his little sister?

That would be helpful when they needed to get the second notebook's location out of Kira. If there was any part of Light still in there, he was certain he could reach it.

It was difficult to see behind the act, but if he truly didn't want to lose the notebook he would have made some announcement and killed her off. He wondered who Mello's next target would be. Matsuda and Mogi didn't have any family, Aizawa's family and Mrs. Yagami would undoubtedly be better protected. Ide he wasn't sure about, but Mello did not know about him.

It would have been amusing if he had picked a different child of the Deputy Director to abduct. What would have happened if Mello had abducted the second L?

Neither Near nor Mello could confidently say that the Director was killed by Kira, but since they were right he allowed them to go with the assumption that he was. Which meant both were now suspicious of the Japanese police force even more so than before. Now he just needed to see who would reach out to the second L first and see how long it took for them to put the pieces together.

"You took my photo?"Mello looked at Near.

"It would be better than leaving it for anyone to find."Near shrugged.

There really shouldn't be any photographs of any of them in existence, not since the Kira investigation started and he realized that the killer needed a face to kill. But it was Mello's risk to take with keeping that one in existence, and it really was too rare that the young teen had anything to smile about.

Mello gave the Deputy Director proof that Sayu was still alive after demanding that he come to Los Angeles in the next two days.

"LA?"Matt voiced his thought out loud.

Why was it that when his heirs turned down a dark path they ended up in the city of angels?

He had always warned Mello that if he didn't watch his emotions he would become like Beyond…but he had never thought it would happen.

He wondered if it was deliberate. Last he checked, the American mafia largely operated in the northeast of the nation with a little diaspora into the midwest. It did have a presence in California, but not a strong enough one to adequately support Mello in his confrontation of Kira. Mello could be making a statement to Near, an outright opposition like B had made to him.

Though his reasoning could be mirroring his own presently. He knew Ryuzaki was the alias Beyond had used when trying to trick Misora, and it was one he intentionally kept using. It was a good reminder that he wasn't infallible, though the more he used it the less it reminded him of his failure.

When Light said his alias it almost felt like his real name.

What would his reaction be when he told him L had been his real name all along?

Kira then called the FBI director, who gave the phone to Near after listening for a moment. Near had the security of anonymity as he informed the second L that he was aware that he was not the original.

"You can address me…as N."

It was good to see Kira bothered.

"…this strange feeling…What is it?"

There was a nice image of himself surrounding Kira in chains, entrapping him and binding them to the same fate. Like he had always said.

He smirked faintly. His plan could still work even if Mello and Near refused to cooperate. Near was cautious. He would never show his face to anyone, not until he was confident that he could win. His caution and patience would keep him alive while Mello's bold moves would force Kira to act and reveal himself. Ideally, those two factors would work together.

But even separate it would be enough to bring Kira down.

So long as they didn't drag each other down first.