A/N: Sorry I took nearly 2 months to update, especially after such a cliffhanger. To be honest I didn't even realize how quickly the time went. I hope you enjoy this one. There should be more to follow really soon. Promise. :)

Chapter 7

Matt entered the apartment silently, hoping not to wake Near. He too was exhausted, wanting nothing more at that moment than to crawl into bed with his lover and latch onto him, not letting go of his body until sunrise. Convincing himself that the notebook was left in good hands, and that hopefully the next morning would provide them with information as to who decided to play this sick game. He had a feeling that whoever it was wasn't finished, and that more would happen.

His concerns were validated when he crawled into an empty bed. He furrowed his brow, and looked towards the bathroom door, finding it wide open and that the bathroom was just as dark as the rest of the apartment. He turned the lights on, expecting to see Near sitting by himself on the floor, lost deep in thought. He wasn't there. There was nobody there.

"Near?!" Matt called out, only to be answered by the echo of his own voice.

He approached the bed, looking at the side that Near normally sleeps on, half expecting Near to suddenly appear, as if he didn't see his white ghostlyness against the white linens on the bed. That's when he spotted it, a single red spot just below the pillow, disturbing the otherwise uniform color of the sheets.

Matt stared at the bloodstain as his own blood drained from his face. He looked around the apartment once again, his chest clenching tight. The room was still empty, with nothing but the hum of the refrigerator to break the stark silence.

"Near..." Matt whispered. Not sure what he should do next.

]

Matt scampered around the apartment frantically, going as far as checking closets. The bloodstain had him concerned. Near never had so much as a freckle on his perfect skin. Matt's heart started to pound, and the sound of his blood pumping through his arteries rang through his ears and was all that he could hear.

The first thing he decided to do was call Roger, thinking that Near might have for some reason decided to go visit him himself, despite the fact that Matt was already on his way. Then it dawned on him to try and call Near's cell phone. He found it in the apartment, vibrating off of the nightstand and onto the carpet below.

He made his next call, and slowly dialed 9-1-1, trying to think of what to say to whoever picked up on the other end.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"My boyfriend is missing. We live together and I went out for a little while, he was asleep when I left. He's missing and it's just not like him to disappear, especially in the middle of the night. I think he's been kidnapped."

"Sir he has to be missing over 24 hours before you can file a missing persons report."

"I dont have 24 hours! Look, earlier tonight someone had broken into our apartment and left him a message of sorts. It was threatening, and now I find him missing and there's blood on the sheets. Something is very wrong. He wouldn't just disappear on his own."

There was a pause as the person on the other end considered what he was told.

"I'm sending a detective your your place right now. Please stay calm while you wait for them to arrive."

"Thank you."

One would think that once reporting a kidnapping, the police would make haste trying to get to the scene of the crime, however Matt had waited nearly 30 minutes in silent misery for the knock on the door. He rushed over and opened it up, letting a uniformed police officer and a detective in a cheap suit in.

"My name is Detective Johnson and this is Officer Darelle. Are you the one that called in the kidnapping?"

"Yes."

"Can I see some form of identification?"

Matt handed him his ID and watched as the detective jotted his information down on a notepad.

"What is the missing person's name?"

"Near. Well, actually that's more of a nickname of sorts. His real name is Nate River."

"When did you last see Mr. River?"

"At 12:30. He had just gone to sleep. He was upset after receiving a death threat. Someone had broken into our apartment and left it for him while we were out to dinner earlier."

"Does Mr. River have any enemies?"

"Well, he probably does. He's a private investigator, and he's had some high profile cases."

"Any case in particular that might have angered someone enough to resort to drastic measures?"

"Yes. Well there's one in particular that I can think of. Kira."

"I'm sorry?"

"Kira."

"THE Kira?"

"Yes. He was the one who brought him down."

The detective scratched his head.

"Yes, I remember the Kira era fondly. That's when I actually had hope for this world. I was wondering who had the nerve to ruin this world's last chance at salvation." Detective Johnson said flatly.

This wasn't going well. Matt wished he had kept his mouth shut. He knew right then that his odds of getting help from the law were getting that much slimmer with ever word he said.

"Where is this death threat?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen it since Near has gone missing." Matt lied, determined now to give as little information as possible. Surely the existence of the Death Note was not something the general public needed to know anything about.

"Mind if I take a look around?"

"Of course. Help yourself." Matt said.

The detectives milled around the apartment, taking pictures of the bed and the small spot of blood on the sheets. Another knock on the door was heard. Matt opened the door and found Roger on the other side.

"Can I be of any assistance?" Roger said.

"I'm hoping you can. The detective is a Kira supporter. I don't think they're going to be trying their hardest to find him." Matt whispered.

"You told them about Near's involvement in the Kira case?"

Matt looked down at the ground, fully incriminating himself.

"Yeah, I kinda did."

"Stupid boy." Roger said harshly as he pushed Matt aside and entered the apartment.

"And you are?" Detective Johnson said.

"Roger -----. I'm Near's assistant. I was hoping I could be of some help in this matter."

The detective talked with Roger for some time while Matt sat on the couch and stared at the wall opposite. He wasn't helping matters in the slightest and he knew it. He was a little discouraged to say the least, realizing that the police might not be much help, and that Roger was the only chance he had. He then started to give thought as to where Near might actually be. He knew nothing about his assailant, and no idea what kind of danger Near was in. He let his emotions get the best of him and started to cry, try as he might to stifle it.

"I cant sit here idly while god only knows what his happening to him."

"Matt why don't you come with me to my office. We can work on this together."

Matt reluctantly agreed and left the police in their apartment to do their job, even though Matt believed that they were going to put forth hardly any effort. Once at Roger's office, Matt observed as the somewhat elderly man poked and prodded at his computer mouse and mindlessly sifted through stacks of papers. He seemed lost, as if he didn't know where to start. Matt realized then that he was on his own, and that if he wanted Near back safe and unharmed, he had better start leading the investigation himself immediately.

"Roger I think the first thing we should do is have a trace set up on the phone lines at our apartment. That way in case anyone calls for randsom we'll have a better shot at locating them."

"Yes I think that's a good idea." Roger replied.

"Also I would like a list of all the cases Near has solved since the Kira case."

Matt started to think about things a bit more closely. Near did just solve a somewhat high-profile case. He also knows Gaston Montvac had posted bail just as quickly as he was arrested, and he seemed like the one most likely to have a grudge against Near aside from Mikami, who after a quick call overseas to Japan, was confirmed dead as a doornail. What he couldn't figure out is how Montvac knew about the Death Note. Matt supposed that it wouldn't be that difficult to figure out of one dug deep enough into Near's history. He wasn't about to mull over it however. He needed his information quickly, immediately in fact. He didn't want Near to be held captive in who knows what conditions for another moment if he could help it.

"Matt you look exhausted. Why don't you go home and go to sleep?"

"I can't sleep, Roger. How could I possibly..." Matt said, rubbing his eyes, which now had bags under them due to exhaustion.

"Yes but you wont be any good to Near if you're not well rested. A mind thinks the best after a good night's sleep."

"To be honest Roger, I don't know if I could sleep in the same bed. Not after Near was taken. I'm not sure that I wont be attacked in the middle of the night. We still don't know who we're dealing with here."

"Are you saying you're scared, Matt?" Roger asked.

The question almost made Matt feel like he was being mocked, although that wasn't Roger's intention. Matt replied irritatedly.

"Yes goddammit! I'm scared!" Matt shouted.

"Would you feel better if I had a private security firm keep guard over the apartment while you are there? The police obviously wont stay there for any longer than necessary." Rogers said in his same calming voice.

Matt nodded in agreement. While he didn't want to seem helpless. He knew that he might be in danger alone, and that unless he was safe he wouldn't be of any help to Near. Roger made arrangements for a top level private security team to meet at the apartment. Matt thanked Roger and took a cab home.

Once home, Matt found two security guard standing in front off the apartment door. They weren't dressed any kind of uniform like Matt would've expected, and instead wore black slacks, white button down shirts, and black suit jackets. The unassuming clothing didn't make them look any less menacing though, because both of them were built like body builders, with broad shoulders and huge bulging biceps. Matt could make out the strap of a gun-holster peeking out from behind the larger man's jacket. These things made Matt feel a little bit more comfortable, yet vulnerable at the same time because he needed protection from these men. It was a bit humbling to say the least. Both men's expressions didn't waver as Matt approached, and remained stoic.

"Are you my guards for the night?" Matt asked.

"After you show us some identification, yes." The man replied. His voice was gruff.

Matt didn't hesitate to pull out his ID and hand it to the man who examined it scrupulously, before handing it back to him.

"My name is Lopez, and this is Dietrich. Your employer requested that we spend the night here due to a kidnapping that had taken place earlier, and that you might be in similar danger. I will stand watch outside, and Dietrich will stay inside the apartment with you. Is that arrangement agreeable?"

"Yes, I suppose that would work fine. I feel a little embarrassed about all of this actually. I'm not usually the type to...."

"Look, there's nothing to feel embarrassed about. We're professionals and used to dealing with this type of thing. You're not. Dietrich, bring this young man inside and secure the area."

"Got it boss." Dietrich replied.

Now that Dietrich had stepped closer to Matt, he could see that his was more intimidating than his partner. He was tall, with a blonde crew cut, and every part of him was chiseled. From his angular face to his equally angular body. He had the appearance of a marine Lieutenant.

"Are you in the military?" Matt asked sheepishly.

"Yes sir. 10 years in the corps, 2nd lieutenant. I'm inactive right now so I've been doing this in the meantime."

"I had a feeling. You look like the type."

Fortunately Dietrich grinned, apparently receiving it as a compliment. After closing the door behind them, the man scouted around the apartment, looking for...well Matt didn't exactly know what he was looking for, but it seemed like he knew what he was doing.

"Please make yourself at home. We're going to be here for a while." Matt said.

"Do you mind if I watch TV then. They're re-playing last night's game on ESPN."

"By all means, help yourself." Matt replied.

Matt sat down on the corner of the sofa and turned on the channel Dietrich asked for. The guard then sat down on the opposite side of the sofa and fixed his eyes on the screen. While Matt could care less about football, the sounds from the game suffocated the silence in the room and made him feel a little more comfortable. Eventually he curled up into the fetal position in his corner of the couch, hoping he'd be able to get some sleep, but he couldn't stop his mind from racing and worrying about Near.

Dietrich took a glance at Matt's bloodshot eyes and worried expression. Knowing that the boy in front of him was exhausted but wasn't going to get a wink of sleep, he pulled out a silver flask from his back pocket.

"Here." He said, handing it to Matt.

"What's this?" Matt asked.

"Just a little something I keep with me for long nights. A few swigs and you'll be asleep in 20 minutes."

"Seriously?"

"Either that or you can keep torturing yourself over there."

Matt opened the cap and took a mouthful, swallowing it quickly. He got most of it down but ended up coughing violently, with some of the liquor spilling down his chin, leaving a burning sensation in it's wake.

"Holy shit." Matt said, trying not to gag. He wiped his chin with the sleeve of his shirt.

"That's what we call Everclear. 190 proof of southern grain alcohol. I wouldn't advise smoking for the next half-hour or so. If you're even awake by then."

"Oh no, that's ok, I wasn't planning to. " Matt said. Almost instantly he could feel the alcohol in his bloodstream.

Matt re-curled himself up in the fetal position and before 10 minutes had gone past, he was snoring softly with drool escaping from the corner of his mouth.

A/N: What is my obsession with hugemongous military men? I'm not really attracted to that type, but something about someone incredibly badass protecting someone who isn't just appeals to me. Anyway. Please review onegaishimasu.