Near observed her from a distance; the woman with shoulder length curly red hair who was tickling her giggling four year old son. He loved her. He had since the moment he first saw her. She had looked different then: long dark brown hair and a fragile sickly body, but her eyes had captivated him. She had gazed at him so thoughtfully, so unafraid, with those big brown eyes. There was a kindness about her and her determination to love him that had stirred something within him he did not know existed. He had never cared much for human beings as a whole, but there were a few who meant something to him and she was one of them. She was probably the first on his list or a close tie with Roger Ruvie. She and Roger were the only people that could handle him and all of his idiosyncrasies.

Near silently went to her, sitting on the ground beside her. Not a word was spoken between them. They had developed a relationship that exceeded words and made them useless sometimes. This was one of those times. His hand moved over the inky black hair of the child in her arms. He allowed a rare smile to lift the corners of his lips to return the smile of the exceptional child snuggled against her chest.

Hideki Lawliet, a true successor of L in that he was L's flesh and blood. She was pregnant with him when she arrived here but had not known it yet. He will never forget the day she confirmed her pregnancy.

It was a day like any other. They had just completed their last lesson for the day. Masako had taken it upon herself to become his teacher as well as his sister. She could be quite determined, stubborn, and an all-around pain in the ass. But so could he. He needed someone like her. He was in his room playing darts when he heard her shrill scream rip through the house to interrupt everyone's peaceful day. When he found her in the bathroom, Roger was already there. The scene was so terribly confusing because she was sobbing furiously with a smile on her face. She was happy but why was she crying?

"His baby. I'm having his baby. L left me with the most wonderful present. I now have a part of him forever," she had bawled while Roger patted her on the shoulder to comfort her.

When her belly began to grow, Near began to ask questions and she answered as best as she could without being too graphic. After her belly got so big he thought she would explode, a doctor came to the manor one day and stayed for a very long time. No one would allow him to see Masako and for the first time his life he was afraid. He was terrified she would be taken away from him. Late that night when everyone was asleep, he crept into her room. A strange mewling sound like a kitten met his ears and he followed the sound to what looked like a doll's crib beside her bed.

"L's baby," he gasped, crouching down beside the bed to get a closer look.

For a long time Near studied the tiny creature lying in the bed. It looked like a doll but it was alive. It moved and breathed and grunted and sighed. The fuzzy black hair stuck out from the baby's head in all directions. Reaching out tentatively, he touched the chubby little cheek with his forefinger. He had never touched anything so soft. The baby wiggled and sighed noisily. He stared at his finger as the tiny little fingers of the child wrapped around it. He resisted the urge to pull back as the miniscule digits grasped his forefinger tightly and held on.

"Near? Near, honey, what are you doing in here?" Masako asked, sitting up in the bed.

"I was worried about you. No one would tell me what was going on. This is L's baby," he stated rather than asked.

"Yes, he is. I named him Hideki because that was the name L gave me when we first met," she explained.

"Does this mean you won't love me anymore? Since you're a mommy will you not be my big sister?" he asked, staring up at her.

"What? Oh, honey, no. Come here," she said, pulling back the blanket and patting the bed next to her.

Near crawled into the bed beside her lying down as she wrapped her arms around him. He closed his eyes when she kissed his cheek. She was the only person he allowed to touch him.

"I love you, Near. You remind me of him you know," she whispered, brushing his cheek with hers.

"Is that why you cry sometimes when you stare at me?"

Masako felt her chest tighten when he asked her that. She never knew he noticed. "Yes. I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because I'm happy. It's like I still have him here with me in you. Now I have Hideki too so I'm doubly happy."

Near felt a smile tugging at his lips when she began to stroke his hair. Soon he was asleep in her arms.

Near took a deep breath before glancing at her briefly. He looked at Hideki, kissing the sleeping child on the forehead. Putting his arm around her, his eyes moved to the horizon to watch the setting sun.

"I have to go to the United States. They're ready to hear the evidence I've gathered on Kira. I would like for you to go with me. You're a big part of this," he said, stroking her deep auburn curls.

It was her who had given him the laptop computer full of files and information from the Kira case as well as the notebook. He had spent the last few years gathering more information particularly on events that occurred after her departure from Light Yagami.

"I know. I just don't want to leave Hideki. It's too dangerous for me to bring him with me though," she murmured, clutching the child to her body tightly. "Near, do something for me."

"I'd do anything for you," he rejoined, pulling her to his side.

"Take him down. Destroy Light Yagami. He's the one who killed Hideki's father. If I had not run away, I would have been his prisoner. He probably would have treated me no better than a concubine. I would have been a captive and a sex slave," she spat out as if the words tasted as bitter as she felt in this moment. "I hate him, Near."

Near looked into her eyes. He did not like what he saw. Gone was the compassion, the love, to be replaced with something sinister and cruel.

"Come with me, please. I need you," he pled with her. He was being selfish, and he knew it. Sometimes he had a proclivity to do that especially where she was concerned.

"Near, I – "

"Masako, please," he begged, tipping up her chin to look into her beautiful brown eyes that had once again softened. "Let's annihilate him together."

~\..'../~

Masako sat in the President's office listening to Near dictate the extensive amount of information he had gathered as if he were simply replaying a recording straight from his brain. She watched him as he sat in a half L crouch with one knee under his chin and the other foot on the floor. He twisted a lock of his white hair around his forefinger to think like L once chewed on his thumb to boost his brain power. Nervously pulling on her tailored navy blue suit she resisted the impulse to cry. She was bombarded with thoughts of L as well as the harrowing memory of leaving her son. Roger had done his best to comfort the screaming panicked child who had never been away from his mother. She felt sorry for the sweet old man who began to cry along with Hideki in sympathy.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" the aid standing next to her inquired.

"Could I have a glass of water, please?" she inquired, standing up to walk around a bit. "I'm sorry, Near."

Masako had not meant to interrupt him in the middle of delivering his findings. She knew he would be able to pick right up where he left off despite her distraction. Walking out of the room, she ran into what she thought was a wall at first. Looking up, her eyes met a pair of luminescent blue eyes under meticulously slicked back blond hair.

"I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. I'm sorry," she apologized, smiling at him. He was a very good looking man and she could not keep herself from noticing. Immediately feeling guilty for betraying L's memory with even making the observation of his attractiveness, she cleared her throat and backed away from him.

"I'm Anthony Rester. I will be the one taking care of you and Near. You're his caretaker, right?" he asked, smiling brilliantly at her. "Masako Lawliet?"

"Yes, that's me," she proudly answered. She never tired of hearing her new name that L had given her especially since part of it was his.

"This meeting could take a while. Would you like to go to your hotel to rest? I can bring Near when he's done here," he told her, reaching out to touch her arm.

Masako felt a surge of warmth to her cheeks and immediately jerked away from him. She regretted it when she saw a blush creep over his fair skinned cheeks. "No. I'd really rather stay with him. He does not like it when I'm far away and – "

"I understand," he replied, gazing at her with his intense pale blue eyes. "But the both of you will have to trust me sooner or later. Why not start now?"

Masako sighed heavily in defeat. He was correct.

"Mr. Rester –"

"You can call me Anthony. Actually, I'd prefer it if you call me Tony," he said, blushing deeply.

Masako knew that implied a certain familiarity she was not comfortable with yet. He was still a stranger to her. Since L's death and becoming a mother, she had become something of a frigid prude where men were concerned.

"Mr. Rester, I would prefer to stay here today. If you would like to wait with me, we can talk and get to know each other a little more," she stated in a very tight, agitated voice.

"I apologize, I did not mean to offend you," he said, bowing to her to show his sincerity.

Masako took the glass of water from the polite female aid who returned to the President's office. She sat down on the couch, staring at the presidential seal on the royal blue carpet in front of her. Her eyes briefly moved to Anthony Rester who sat down in the chair positioned at a corner next to the couch.

"Ms. Lawliet, how did you become involved in the Kira case?" he inquired, clasping his hands between his knees as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

Masako told him the story editing out certain information for propriety and her own privacy. The pain of L's death was just as severe as it had been when it first happened. The only difference now was that she did not cry anymore. She spoke in a monotone as if she were narrating a story instead of telling him a part of her intimate and wounding life history. Apparently, she already trusted him to a great degree by the information she was sharing. However, she knew there would be full disclosure sooner or later. Her body responded with a shiver when she pondered what it would be like when she meets Light again. Would he recognize her? Would he write her name in his damnable book? Obviously the Death Note she had stolen that day was not the only one the police had been in possession of or Light had one of his own that he had kept hidden. That devious bastard. She had never hated someone so aggressively and completely in all her life.

"Mr. Rester, tell me about yourself. It's only fair don't you think?" she probed, looking into his eyes.

"You have a high sense of fairness don't you, Ms. Lawliet?" he asked, giving her one of those million dollar smiles.

"Yes. I believe whatever one gives another person, they should receive the same in return," she said, managing to smile without looking maniacal. She meant every word she had spoken and that is why Light Yagami will die.

Anthony Rester launched into a lengthy and unfortunately boring monologue of his life. It seemed like something out of a book, a perfect middle class American upbringing. He was the high school football hero, prom king, and class valedictorian. While attending college, he was once again the celebrated football star who always had some pretty college co-ed hanging from his arm. After graduating with a dual major in criminology and computer forensics, he was recruited by the FBI. And here he sits today putting a grown woman to sleep with his disturbingly typical life story.

"Hey, Halle," he called to a fellow agent in the room who would be working on this case with him. He took Masako into his arms, glad she was asleep so he would not insult her delicate sensibilities again by touching her. "I'm taking Ms. Lawliet to the hotel. I'll be back later for Near."

...

"Near!" Masako called out in alarm when she woke up in an unfamiliar place. Looking around, she surmised she was in a hotel room. When and how did she get here? "NEAR!"

"I'm right here," he responded calmly, walking into the room. He sat down on the bed beside her, grunting when she hugged him so tight it squeezed the air out of him. He could not help but smile when she kissed him on the lips. She did not do that often, but he liked it every time she did.

"You scared me! I don't know what I'd do without you," she murmured, running her fingers through his thick shaggy white hair. She kissed him again, this time on the cheek.

Near would not admit it if someone asked him but he liked the fact she depended on him as much as he did her. They had a truly codependent relationship and needed each other to maintain their very existence. Boldly, he pressed his lips to hers which she did not seem to notice. Lately, his eighteen year old body and mind had been having cravings and thoughts he had never experienced before. It did not matter to him that she was five years older than him. She was the only woman he could ever love. The love he had for her that had started out as something familial had become more for him over the past several months. He knew she still viewed him as a child because she treated him as one. Of course if he did not act like a child it might help change her perspective. He masked his romantic feelings for her and tried to push them aside as inappropriate since they were unrequited and never should be admitted.

"Near? Why are you staring at me like that?" Masako asked, touching his cheek with her fingertips.

"What? Oh, nothing," he responded, twisting his hair around his finger. "I'm just tired.

"Then lie down next to me and go to sleep," she encouraged him, patting the bed in front of her.

Without a word, Near crawled over her and took her into his arms. He kissed her cheek holding her tightly against his chest. "I'm not a child anymore, Masako. I'm a man. Let me hold you and you can sleep in my arms for a change."