Four days later…

"Hey, Light, wait up!" Matsuda called, charging through the hotel lobby towards the lifts. Light raised an eyebrow and held the doors open with his left arm. Matsuda ran in as the doors closed behind him. "Thanks," The young man wheezed, completely exhausted from the running. He bent over his knees as he attempted to catch his breath. "I missed the bus and I didn't have any cash on me to call a taxi." He exclaimed.

"Well, at least you're not late. Dad and Aizawa still haven't arrived." Light watched as the lift ascended up to the 25th story. "Ryuzaki called me earlier this morning. He said the new recruits arrived."

"That's a good thing, isn't it? I mean, ever since the second Kira showed up, we haven't really gotten anywhere with the investigation. With more people on our side, it'll be easier for us to catch Kira!" Matsuda chimed enthusiastically.

"Yeah…I guess you could say that." Light mumbled. Though, if these guys are as smart as Ryuzaki portrays them to be…I don't know. Something doesn't seem right. Why would L randomly decide to bring in new recruits? Is it really just because he fears the second Kira? Is he trying to taunt me?

The elevator came to a sudden halt and the doors slid open. The two of them proceeded down the hall in silence. They came to a stop when they reached the door number '27Y'. Light gently knocked on the face of the door with the back of his knuckle…when no one answered, he knocked again…and yet, there was still no reply. After the third knock, Matsuda decided to let himself in with the card Ryuzaki had sent him (for emergency purposes only.)

The door swung open with ease. What they saw next was rather shocking to say the least.

A boy with white hair and pale skin sat on the sofa with his back to them. He appeared to be fiddling with the tape the second Kira had sent, holding it out with his right hand whilst he fiddled with a loose strand of hair on the side of his face. He appeared to be whispering to himself.

A tall young man with blonde hair and blue eyes stood beside the white-haired boy, a chocolate bar in his left hand. He wore dark leather gloves and dressed in nothing but black from head to toe. He too was holding a tape between his fingers, only it wasn't from the second Kira.

Meanwhile, a young red/brown haired boy wearing orange-tinted goggles sat at on the floor in front of a computer screen, typing at a rapid speed. He wore a red and black striped shirt and jeans. He stopped typing for a moment to take a sip of what looked like a can of coke, before he resumed.

Matsuda and Light both stared in shock. "Hey, what the-"

At that moment, Ryuzaki entered through the doorway (the hotel suite had two rooms), carrying a piece of cake in one hand and a fork in the other. He was soon followed by Mogi, Watari, and a young girl who looked about the same age as the other strangers. "Evening Light, Matsuda" Ryuzaki said. "Would you mind closing the door please?"

"Ryuzaki, did you let these kids in?" Matsuda asked, pushing the door closed as he did so.

"Of course I did. They're the newest members of the task force. It'd be rude not to." Ryuzaki said simply.

Matsuda and Light just stared in shock. "…Wha-these are the people you were talking about?!"

"Yes. Why do you sound so surprised Matsuda?" L asked.

"They're…children! Ryuzaki, you can't be serious about putting them on the Kira investigation!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"I can't be serious? I've never been more serious, Matsuda." L hummed. "The IQ for an average middle-aged man is 100. Near is on a solid 221 and rising, whilst Mello is on a 214. These men aren't just children. They're geniuses. I know for a fact that none of you are as intellectually advanced as them. Since when did age ever matter when it came to justice?" L kept his cool, though his irritation was visible through his voice. "If Kira wants a fight, then a fight I shall give."

"Believe it or not, L's right on this one." Mogi interrupted. Matsuda and Light turned to him. "Although they don't look like much, according to Ryuzaki they're four of the best and brightest young adults in the world. Near has personally proven himself to be brighter than most full-grown men. He's a sharp thinker and can analyse with a single glance. Mello is also known for his way of speech and sense of initiative. He's been trained to use a gun and how to defend and in some cases, kill combat. Matt was trained in the field of computing at a young age. He can hack through practically any data base, and at age twelve, he singlehandedly managed to break into FBI information unit. Finally, Linda over here has a photographic memory. Aside from her skills with analysing evidence and data, she is known for being rather sociable, which could help us in the future…they may be young, but hell…I want them on this case."

"Mogi…"

Light stood there in silence for a moment. I can't believe L would do something like this…he must really believe these kids are geniuses…and perhaps they are. Light laughed a little and the rest of the task force turned their heads to him. "Well, I'll admit, I didn't expect that…but it doesn't change anything. If they're as intelligent as Ryuzaki says, we've got nothing to worry about."

"We already know that Ryuzaki suspects you of being Kira, Light Yagami." Near said, placing the tape back onto the coffee table. "And as his apprentice, I shall be watching you closely…of course, I don't want this to affect our relationship in anyway. If we're going to work together, we need to be able to trust each other." This Near kid…is he a threat or not? He sure talks like L…trying to gain my trust…should I be worried?

"Aside from that, Ryuzaki has also kept us updated on the Kira case so far." Mello said, not bothering with formal introduction. "Near and I have concluded that we suspect there may be a second Kira who intends to make contact with the first Kira…so I've done a little brainstorming, and here's what we're gonna do…" The others watched curiously as Mello took a bite from his chocolate bar. "In order to get a response out of the second Kira, Matt and I are going to create a tape, posing as 'Kira'. Hopefully, the second Kira will take the bait and send a reply…and judging by what we've already seen…the second Kira should fall right into our trap."

So that's what they're doing…trying to get information out of the second Kira by posing as the first…not bad for a bunch of kids…Light thought.

"I've already got Matt working on the tape. Once we've recorded the message, Matt's going to broadcast it over the afternoon news report. We'll be using Ryuzaki's name to try and gain access to a wider audience…if that's okay with him." L nodded in agreement.

"Could I make just one slight adjustment?" Ryuzaki said. "I would like to have Light play the role of Kira."

Light raised his eyebrows . "Me? Really?"

"Yes. I feel as though you're intelligent enough to pull off the role…you have a way of deduction that allows you to think as Kira would."

L wants to see how I go about this…well, I guess I have no choice. "I guess I could do it."

"Good. Near, Mello, Matt, Linda, I'd like to commend you for your work so far. At this rate, we'll bring Kira to justice before the year is out."

Near POV

First day of the Kira case and I know this much… Kira is in Japan. The second Kira is also in Japan. L suspects Light Yagami to be Kira. According to Matt, the tapes were made by an amateur who obviously had no special knowledge with general technology.

After talking it over with Mello and Ryuzaki, we've decided to have Mello tail Light for a little while. If Light IS the real Kira, then it's possible that the second Kira may attempt to gain contact with him…if something unusual happens between Light Yagami and someone who could be the second Kira, Mello has promised to alert me as soon as possible.

Matt will also be tracking Yagami by CCTV cameras and satellite. L seems to have a strong belief that Light is in fact Kira...and, if we're wrong, then it doesn't matter. It only sets us back by a few days…

Light Yagami…are you, or are you not Kira?