Near stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at the grave in front of him. It was such a desolate place for such a great mind to end up and yet…his eyes drifted toward the newly dug grave beside it. Yes, he supposed this was exactly where his mentor should be.

He hoped both L and Yagami had better luck in the afterlife that Mello kept telling him existed.

"I still think we should have brought him back to Wammy's," Matt sighed, crouching down and peering at the tombstone as if it was actually going change to read something other than L's alias and date of death. There had been nothing else for the Taskforce to use. Near supposed Yagami and Wammy himself had been the only ones to know L's true name.

"Yagami's mother and sister don't know that Yagami was Kira," Mello muttered lowly, his arm tightening around Near's narrow shoulders at the argument that had been plaguing them for the last week. "Taking L isn't right if we couldn't take him," he sneered, glaring down at the grave beside the one they were currently visiting. "And I sure as hell don't want him on Wammy property."

Near did not even bother to tell Mello how illogical the thought was. Yes, he agreed that the thought of Kira being aware of Wammy House was startling and vaguely horrifying, but Yagami was dead. Placing his body on the grounds was not going to curse Wammy House or those that lived there. Yet…yet Near could not help but agree that just the thought of Light Yagami being so close was unsettling.

Though, he was not sure just how close he would actually be.

Now that Kira was defeated, Near could easily return to Wammy House and use his old rooms as a base of operations. However, he was beginning to see why L had only been back to the orphanage on very rare occasions. After what had happened the past five years, Near was not sure he could go back and see the…innocence he had been surrounded by as a child. He had never thought of himself with such a term in mind, not with the education and training he received to be one of L's heirs, but he had always felt safe at Wammy House. Even after L's death, he had not truly felt to be in danger until he left for the United States. Though no one was aware of who Near was, would just returning to Wammy House be endangering those that now found safety within its walls?

L had many facilities over the world, most of them unknown to the public. The situation in Japan had been unprecedented and the headquarters L built for the Kira investigation were no longer needed, nor would they be used in the future. No, it would be best to sell the property. L had not previously had a property in Japan until Kira's appearance, as he had not had many cases in the country and those that he had been brought in on were easily completed off-base. He would do as his predecessor had done and stay in a hotel if needed. He did not think Japan would be calling L for a very long time.

"Near? Hello?" Near blinked, forcing his eyes to focus on the redhead that was standing in front of him with his eyebrows raised. "There he is! We've been talking to you for awhile now. What were you thinking about so intensely?"

Near frowned slightly at the question. "Just pondering which property L used as his primary location. He did not return to Wammy House often and I believe that was the best course of action. It is best to keep L separated from the orphanage as much as possible."

"Makes sense," Matt agreed instantly, leaning back on his heel and putting his hands in his pockets. "Are your goons going with you?"

Near raised an eyebrow at the term and Mello chuckled at his side. "Gevanni will be returning home to his wife. I believe Rester will stay if I choose my primary headquarters close to his wife. As for Li-"

"She's leaving. Probably already gone," Mello cut in. Near couldn't help the way his head snapped around as he stared up at the other man. Mello met his gaze and Near's eyes narrowed when he saw the amused tilt at the corner of Mello's lips. "Nothing to get all worked up about. She and I had a discussion this morning when you were sleeping and I thought it best if she…returned to the CIA."

Near's brows furrowed as his hand moved to twist a strand of hair. "She should have spoken to me if she was planning to leave."

"Well, you haven't been very inviting toward her," Mello commented, the smirk growing fully as amusement laced his words. Matt, at least, had the manners to cover his chuckle with a cough. "As for a primary base, you seem particular to the United States, though their behavior during the Kira investigation pissed me off. Not to mention the fact that I'm probably being hunted by half of the population."

"Bit of an exaggeration," Matt chimed in, "but not too far off. Police, definitely. Some agencies. Uh, the mafia…"

"I'd rather stay away from Russia as well," Mello continued. "And the whole thing about keeping distance from Wammy House, at least for a few years, is a good plan. So…"

Near blinked up at the man, his mind whirling. Late at night, when Mello was asleep beside him, he had dared to hope that the situation was not temporary. That the blonde would be willing to follow him, work with him, but in the light of day he had pushed those thoughts away and told himself to just be happy with what he had now. That they would be together when they could, when his role as L was not keeping him too busy and when Mello was finished with whatever his next plans were. But the way he and Matt were talking, as if they were both planning on sticking around for the foreseeable future…well, Near could not stop the swell of hope in his chest that plagued him night after night.

There was only one way to find out for sure. He had avoided it until now but with both Mello and Matt here, both of them willingly talking about the future possibilities, this was the time for him to ask.

That does not mean he wanted the answer.

Near sucked in a deep breath and gripped his white shirt tightly. "Does…does Mello know what his plans will be?" Mello's arm jerked from around Near's shoulders and Near forced the carefully crafted blank look on his face not to break as he continued. "Matt as well?"

The silence that followed was deafening and Near kept his eyes focused on the ground in front of him. The fact that neither Mello nor Matt had answered was not going to upset him. He had prepared himself for Mello to leave him again and he knew that Matt would follow like he always did. He had been lucky that the two had entertained his whims the last few months. He was sure that they would meet him in the future. Mello would not completely abandon him. Near was not blind to the fact that Mello, at least somewhat, cared for him. Perhaps they would at least make sure they came for Christmas and they would decorate and bake together like they had done when they were children. Perhaps Mello would join him at night when the two came to wherever Near was. He would focus on his work, the same way that L had done, and be happy with the time he got to spend with Mello.

"I'm…going to go. Over there," Matt finally said, waving with his right hand. "You two really are idiots."

"Matt!"

"Going!"

Matt shook his head as he walked away and Near's brows furrowed. Why would Matt say that he and Mello were idiots? Neither of them were unintelligent. "Did you really think we were leaving?"

It took a moment for the words to make sense and, when they did, all Near could do was turn his head and blink up at the blonde. Mello's eyes were boring into his own, blazing in a way that Near had not seen in weeks. He took a small step away from the other man. That look had never meant good things for him and he was unsure of what he had done to make the look appear on Mello's face now. "Yes? We are all leaving. I do not think Japan is a good place for any of us to be and-"

"Near. Stop talking." Near frowned at the growl in Mello's voice but did as the other man said. "Answer me this; do you still want us to work together? Or have you changed your mind?"

Work together? With Mello? "Of course. I believe that Mello and I make a very good team. If it had not been for Mello, I would have died in the warehouse along with both the SPK and Kira Taskforce. Mello was able to see an angle of the situation that I had not considered." The words tasted bad in Near's mouth but they were not untrue. Mello had see something that Near had missed.

"Right. And the two of us care about one another, don't we?"

Near frowned. "Mello knows of the affection I hold for him. I believe Mello feels the same for me but I do not see how that is impor-"

"Of course it's important, you damn sheep! Why the fuck would I leave you now?" Mello demanded fiercely, his hands gripping Near's shoulders as he bent slightly and stared into Near's eyes. "If you wanted me to leave, you shouldn't have told me we were fucking soulmates."

Relief coursed through Near's body at the words and he slumped forward, letting himself curl against Mello's chest as the blonde's arms wrapped tightly around him. Mello was here. Mello was staying with him. He was not leaving.

It was if Near was dreaming.

"I'm glad I did," he whispered as he gripped Mello's shirt tightly. "Telling you was the best decision I ever made."

Mello pulled away slightly and prompted Near to lift his head. The blond smirked as he bowed his own head, pausing with his lips a breath's away from Near's own. "Should have told me sooner."

Near didn't have a chance to protest as Mello chased the words away.