Author's Note: I'm so going to fail this test.
Chapter 34
August 6, 2008
How did you do it, L? How did you sit across from so many suffering children? They have food, water, a warm bed, all of the bare necessities of life…but they look so sad.
"Mm…mom." The small child tightened his grip on his mother's hand and slowed his pace, staring up at the bronzed gates of the mansion before them. Eva smiled down at him, stopping to kneel until they were face to face.
"Are you nervous?" she asked, gently running her fingers through his messy, black hair. He nodded. "Me too." she admitted with a laugh. "It's okay to be nervous, but we can't let that stop us from doing things…living our life, right?" The child gave her a skeptical look. "I won't make you stay if you don't like it. But give it a chance?" He gave her a thoughtful look. "For me?" she asked with hands clasped together in front her face. Elliot nodded and she planted a kiss on his cheek. "C'mon, let's go see Roger. You remember him, right?"
They stepped past the gates, past the children playing in the halls, past the beautiful wooden halls and the stained-glass windows, into an elegantly furnished waiting room. Eva had just pulled Elliot onto her lap when he began to squirm and wiggle away from here.
"Hm? What's wrong?" she asked as she followed him with her eyes. She hadn't even noticed the other boy in the room, quietly working on a jigsaw puzzle. Elliot made his way over to the boy on the other side of the room, stopping halfway between Eva and the boy to pick up something. A normal mother would have been inclined to check what it was to prevent her toddler from stuffing it into their mouth, but Eva just watched him. The boy glanced up for a moment through messy white bangs when Elliot neared him.
"You lost this." Elliot whispered, holding out a puzzle piece for him.
"Thanks." the white-haired boy replied, simply taking the puzzle piece and returning it to the board. Elliot stood there, watching the boy click piece after piece into place, mesmerized by the movements. Eventually, when his feet grew tired of standing, he lowered himself to the ground, trying to mimic the sitting position of the boy. "What's your name?"
"El." Elliot replied, picking up a piece and setting it into place. Eva wasn't sure if the look of shock on the white-haired boy's face was from the name or from the action. Maybe he didn't like other kids touching his puzzle. The white-haired boy looked up, really taking the time to examine Elliot: his tousled black hair, his heart-shaped face, his large alert eyes, even the semi-loose fitting of his clothes. The white-haired boy turned his eyes to Eva.
"I see…." he mumbled under his breath, returning to the puzzle and clicking the final piece into the board. "You must be L's child."
"Eva." Roger's voice interrupted her thoughts. She quickly stood and greeted the man. He turned his attention to the two boys and a hint of a smile flashed across his lips. "I see you've already met Near."
"I think El's met him." Eva said with a small laugh. "I haven't had the pleasure."
"Near, come here for a moment, and bring El with you." The white-haired boy stood from the floor and offered his hand to Elliot, who gladly took it. The pair made their way over to Roger and Eva. "Eva, I want to introduce you to L's successor, Near."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Near replied in the same monotone that he had been speaking in earlier.
"Wow…L's successor. No wonder El took such a liking to you immediately." Eva said with a smile. Near looked away, perhaps embarrassed by Eva and El's immediate affection toward him. He tugged on a strand of his white hair, nervously twirling it around his index finger.
"Near will be mentoring El for the next few years." Roger explained.
"That's wonderful!" Eva exclaimed. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you, Near."
November 3, 2008
These kids are so amazing, L. I've been spending my day with all of them, trying to provide them with a little bit of the care and comfort your son has been so lucky to grow up with. I wish I had more time.
I've grown so close to Near. He really admires you, you know? Even if he pretends like he doesn't. He's a sensitive boy…I can see it.
I know mom told me to deny any knowledge of the Kira case…but I can't see him like that. I need to help him.
What do you think, L?
"Near?" Eva whispered to the boy who laid collapsed in the library with exhaustion. She rubbed his back slowly as he stirred from his sleep. "Near, you should sleep in your bed."
"I can't." Near mumbled as he sat back up, returning to the stacks of documents in front of him. Eva sighed and sat with him, leafing through some of the pages. It had been almost four years since L's death, and in the entire length of time that Eva had been at Wammy's House, she had seen Near toil over the Kira case. He had done a phenomenal job putting together patterns, timelines, and even some people…but he wasn't omniscient. There was no way he could put this case back together from scratch.
"Did Roger ever tell you how L and I met?" Eva asked, scooting closer to Near and wrapping an arm around him.
"No." Near mumbled, picking up a different paper to examine.
"We worked on the Kira investigation together." Eva watched the young boy freeze, turning his head slightly toward her to acknowledge that she had captured his interest. "Let me help fill in the gaps for you." It came spilling out of Eva like a torrent. The notebook, the gods of death, the heart attacks, the accidental deaths, the meetings, the experiments, the confinements, the rules, L's suspicion that they were fake, L's suspicion that he would die, L's suspicion of Light Yagami, of Misa Amane, L's death, Reiji's death…and finally, her departure. When it was all said…Near sat there, eyes agape, trying to absorb the inundation of information.
"Do you think he was right?" Near finally asked.
"About what?" Eva asked, hoping he was referring to the notebook.
"About Light Yagami being Kira." Near clarified. Eva bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably.
"No." she responded firmly. "Light isn't Kira…but he is probably the new L, and the notebook is most likely within the NPA's possession. They weren't even planning to publicly acknowledge its existence. I can't imagine they'd surrender it to anyone."
"Then why did you feel like you had to hide from him?" Near asked.
"I wasn't hiding from Light…." Eva was caught off by the accusation.
"He was your best friend, no?" Near began shuffling through the papers again. "Why leave without saying anything to him?" Eva remained silent. She had no answer for him. She hadn't answered the question herself. Just repeated the same phrase over and over again. Light isn't Kira.
"I hope I was able to help." Eva stood and felt a gentle tug on her hand. She looked down at the top of Near's head.
"Don't go." Near whispered. Eva didn't reply, but simply sat back down and cradled the boy in her arms. She had never stopped to consider the immense burden he had to bear. L's name brought prestige, but an unimaginable amount of pressure as well.
"L would be so proud of you." Eva said as she stroked his hair.
March 1, 2009
I'm going to help bring Kira to justice for you, L.
I completely lost hope after you died...but you did a good job mentoring Near. He gives me hope again.
Eva knocked on the wooden office door and turned the bronze knob to open it to peek inside. Roger motioned her in, and Eva walked over, letting the heavy door shut itself behind her.
"You wanted to see me, Roger?" Eva glanced at the other man in the room: bald, heavyset, thick grey mustache, and a black suit and tie. She gave him a quick smile before turning her attention back to Roger. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat and she turned back to the man. She took in the features of his face, trying to place him.
"Steve?" Eva finally said. The man smiled and she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "O my god, Steve! It's been so long!"
"Eva…you look exactly like your mother." Steve Mason replied, pulling away to observe her. "I can't believe how grown up you are."
"I know…I have a kid and everything." Eva said through a laugh and a few tears. Steve had been such a huge part of her life growing up. He would watch her when her parents were out of town, she grew up playing with his daughter who was around her age, he would even come to a few school plays and performances when her parents couldn't. When it came time to assign Eva's godparents, even her father had to admit, however begrudgingly, that Steve and his wife were the best choice. Another knock on the door interrupted the reunion. Near shuffled in and took a crouching seat on a chair, much like L, but with less scoliosis.
"Now that you're all here, I'd like to discuss the establishment of a new Kira task force." Roger began.
"Eva, you have a child to consider now." Steve said, placing his large hand on her shoulder. "No one would blame you if you decided not to join."
"I do…." Eva said with a smile. "I have every child in Wammy's House to consider now." She turned to Near, and for a brief second, she thought she saw someone behind him. A flash of black hair, a glimmer of grey eyes, the ghost of a sweet smile.
"Eva?" Roger asked when she stopped talking abruptly. Eva shook herself from the feeling. L…. Near was staring up at her now. She met his eyes and smiled again.
"I won't go, Near. You have me for as long as you need me." she reassured the boy, earning a small smile from him in return.
