(Near P.O.V)

My meeting with the president didn't take long, and before I knew it I had everything I needed for me to hunt down Kira myself. I made sure everyone had a code name so Kira wouldn't be able to kill them, and I made sure none of them were followers of this murderer. Everything was going my way.

Everything was prepared, so I made my first move.

I first wanted contact with the NPA, the last known people to have worked with L. For this, I had someone from my team confront them directly. I wouldn't make myself known just yet. However…

Things had taken a turn for the worse when I found out that the Deputy Director of the NPA had been kidnapped. They seemed rather upset by this, so I offered my help. If anything, this would help in solidifying my partnership with them. But little did I know, there was more to this kidnapping than I called for.

But that will come at a later time.

After my indirect confrontation with Mr. Soichiro Yagami, I took my time to relax as best as I could. But for someone who didn't sleep much as is, relaxing was a little difficult.

The most I could do was lose myself in a game or puzzle. With this, came thoughts and memories I had no intention of remembering.

"It's fine. Near should be the one to succeed L." His voice rang in my head. "He doesn't get emotional. He just uses his head like it's a game… or a puzzle."

I mentally sighed. 'Mello. If you only knew.'


I thought back to the day we had all gotten kidnapped. Matt lay unconscious before me as I quickly called L. The man and Watari had raced through London to come get us, and once he'd found us…

"Near?" L questioned. "Where's Mello? What happened to Matt?" He became a bit frantic now, putting his hands on my shoulders. This was something very new to see in him. "Near, you have to tell me!"

I was quieter then, but I spoke. "He took our place. Some man took him away, and he's gonna hold him for ransom."

L's eyes widened, which seemed almost impossible, and he backed away. He looked as if he were trying to think things through, but the way he paced made it look so unreal. L was worrying… he had never worried like this before.

Matt finally came to. When he looked up he instantly panicked and tried to find Mello. I had to inform him of this as well, which he didn't like.

"YOU LET HIM GO!" He screamed at me. "HOW COULD YOU!?"

"I'm sorry." I squeaked, backing away.

I had never been scared like that before. No one yelled at me like Matt had, not even Mello. What's more, L was freaking out about what to do next. It was like the world's greatest detective had snapped out of his logical mind and wasn't sure what to do anymore. This wasn't the L I had come to know.

Watari finally silenced us as calmly as he could. Thankfully, he seemed to have kept his head together.

"L, you must remain composed. You've dealt with kidnappings before, now what would you do in this situation?"

"Watari, it's not that simple. If I make the wrong move, Mello might… he…" He began to hyperventilate now. Both Matt and I were terrified for the young man.

Watari put a hand on his back. "L, calm yourself. I know the dangers of this situation, and I know the dangers that lie ahead for Mello. But the fact remains that he was quick enough to get Near and Matt out of there before anything bad happened to them. You can trust that he'll know what to do now. So follow his example and think. This is what you taught him to do, and now you must do the same."

L quickly calmed down afterward. Looking at the two of us with scared eyes. He'd cared for us a great deal before he died. Enough to lose his wits over our welfare.

He finally took a deep breath, relaxing as he let it go. The old L was back now. "Alright. First and foremost, I need to know what vehicle they were in."

I answered that question, plus I handed over the licence plate number. With all this, an immediate call was made to the police with this information. As Watari called the police, L ushered us into the car and told us to wait there.

Before he stood though, he apologized.

"I'm sorry, you two. I shouldn't have lost my wits back there. But when you told me what had just happened, I feared the worst for you. And now, with Mello gone and no other leads besides the car… well, even I can admit to being terrified some days. No one has an escape from human emotion. Not even me."


'How right you were, L.' I thought. 'And now it's I who has to pull himself together. I wish Mello could see how much better suited he is for this role. He's always remained collected in a time of crisis. When Torrik bullied us, when my father tried to grab me, and of course our kidnapping. Why couldn't he see it?'

Using my head? Yes, I could do this. But have the courage to do this myself? To go out and face the world with an undying confidence? A confidence Mello and L shared? No. I couldn't do this. All I could do, was try to fit the pieces of the puzzle together in hopes of a solution. The game was laid out right in front of me, a game I'd be able to play through. But creating the game… this was not me. It was L… it was Mello.

I slightly grinned at the thought. I still smile about it to this day. Mello was more like L than he believed. They both allow themselves to play the game into their favour. But me? I'd rather sit back and watch the gears and cranks turn, trying to find out what made them work.

But just when I'd thought I'd seen all the cranks and gears in motion. One more was added. Making everything turn and switch in new ways.

Someone was making the game their own, now.


A/N: Alright, short chapter, I know, but there isn't much I can do in the story right now until the actual action happens. Besides, I need more rest in my life. Writing for you guys is tiring. :)

At any rate, enjoy the chapter!

Reviews Welcomed.