Burn

by xLion'sRoarx

When BB, a dangerous criminal, escapes from jail and sets his eyes on Light, the entire investigation is thrown into chaos. The Kira case flies off the metaphorical tracks, and as Light's world comes apart at the seams, his own emotions bar him at every turn, turning calculations into reckless actions and throwing into danger everything that he has fought to protect. LxLight

16. Thunder Rising

Welcome to chapter sixteen! Just so you know, this week I will be going on vacation with my mother, and therefore will not have time to post. The next update will be next Tuesday. Sorry :(

To Blazedoll: I can't exactly tell you (or any of the other people who took a guess) if you're right about the child shinigami, but I can say with absolute certainty that L will be paying Rem a little visit in the near future…

Chapter 16: Thunder Rising

L stood on the roof of the task force headquarters, eyes scanning the horizon. It was raining, he noted, as tears from heaven left tiny droplets of moisture all over his face. How long had he been here? His hair was already soaked, plastered to his face and dripping endlessly. He was certain that his shirt was practically see-through now, and his jeans had turned a shade darker as they were pelted by water. He closed his eyes, face turned towards the sky, and basked in the pure misery of the darkened atmosphere. This… this is what he was used to. Solitude. He stretched out one arm to catch the water in his palm, then tilted his hand to watch the liquid run down his fingertips and drip to the soaked concrete below. This situation was very familiar, he noted. It was almost an exact replica of that night he'd spent with Light, lounging back on the rain-soaked rooftop and drinking. The only thing missing was…

He heard the faint calling of a voice through the storm, and he swiftly turned his head to look for it. Oh… it was Light. Smiling bitterly, L recognized that now it really was a perfect imitation of that night in the rain. And just like that night, Light's voice was lost to the storm as he parted his lips to speak. L smiled, cupping a hand to his ear and tilting his head slightly. And Light repeated the question, just as he had that night. He was still dry, L noticed, perfectly preserved. He found himself wanting to dirty that purity, splash rainwater all over those perfect clothes and hair. So he cupped his ear again, just as he was supposed to, and Light glared. He glared, but there was a hint of amusement there too. The perfect teen finally left the shelter of the doorway and trudged out to L, a smile plastered on his face. Unlike that night, he seemed perfectly fine, unaffected by that terrible pain he'd been feeling in his head at the time. With that little detail L seemed to have come to the end of the similarities—for when Light opened his mouth and spoke, the words weren't what they were supposed to be.

"What are you doing out here?" Light asked, one arm hooking around L's waist to pull him into a short embrace. "You're going to catch a cold if you go on like this!"

L smiled up at Light, the heavy ache in his chest vanishing at the sight of the amber-eyed teen so close to him. "I suppose I will. Funny… I feel like something's missing here, don't you?"

Light just grinned, pulling L close. "I wouldn't dwell on it, my love." He pressed himself to L, sealing their lips in a heated kiss. L frowned against Light's lips. Something was wrong. There was an itch at the back of his mind telling him that he must not trust Light, and it was growing stronger with every moment that he remained so close to his lover.

"Light," L insisted, his voice muffled by Light's lips. "Please—"

The teen drew back a few inches, a dark chuckle escaping him. "What's wrong, L? Don't you love me?"

L stared up at Light. His eyes were shielded by a wave of auburn hair, lips drawn back in an unnerving smile. Yes… something was very wrong here. "I love Light Yagami," L said hesitantly, struggling to lean back enough to get a look at the teen's eyes. The eyes were the window to the soul, after all. They would tell L who he was dealing with.

"Good. Then kiss me." Light's fingers pulled at L's belt as his lips went to the detective's neck. And again, something about his touch… it was wrong.

"Let go of me!" L demanded. "Light, step back!"

The teen paused. "No."

"What do you mean, no?" L snapped, hands rising to push at Light's shoulders. When that failed he kicked at his shins. And when even that failed to remove the teen, L finally hauled off and punched the boy directly in the eye. Light yelped, staggering backwards, clutching at his face. And then he looked up, the curtain of hair falling away, and—

"Kira!"

"What are you talking about?" Kira purred, stalking closer, one hand covering his right eye, while the other one—colored a horrible, candy red—shimmered and gleamed maliciously. "I am Light. I am your lover! Don't you recognize me?"

"You are not Light." L backed away. Kira advanced. Step for step, they moved across the rooftop.

"Oh, but I am!" Another step. Another. Another.

"Monster! Get away from me at once!" The rain had plastered Kira's hair to his face now as well, the cloudy sky and water-darkened hair making his red eye stand out all the more on his shadowed face. Kira finally removed his hand from over his other eye, and L wasn't surprised to see that while a bit swollen, it gleamed the same bloody color.

Step. Step. Kira shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered forward. "I don't think you want me to get away. I think you want me very, very close, my dear detective. You want me with you every second of the day, always. You want me to love you, and you want to love me."

"You are not the one I love."

Seemingly ignoring him, Kira stopped moving, and smirked, eyes darting to the space behind L. "Oh L…I knew you loved me, but I didn't think you'd be driven to the point of suicide after I ran away!"

"What?"

"Look behind you." Kira's voice took on a singsong quality.

L gulped. He turned his head, keeping one eye locked on Kira, and…

Oh.

His heels brushed the edge of the rooftop. There was a ledge, of course, designed so that people couldn't just accidentally walk off. L was at that ledge, bending backwards over it by a few inches. And Kira was suddenly dangerously close, his chest nearly brushing L's. One of the teen's hands was at his waist, the other brushing across his jaw.

The god clicked his tongue condescendingly. "Oh, L… I'm going to kill you."

Fear was building up in L's chest. His throat was constricting; breath was becoming harder and harder to take in. He couldn't respond to Kira, save for his labored breathing.

"Jump."

L looked up at Kira in disbelief.

He leaned closer. "Jump, L. Step up on that ledge and splatter your pretty little insides all over the pavement below." He swiftly retreated, taking several steps back and striking the most innocent pose imaginable—one finger pressing to his pouting lips, a hand at his hip, his whole body slightly leaned to one side. He looked cute like that, L found. Almost like Light. "If you love me, then you'll jump."

"I will not jump." And he said it because he didn't want to die, because he hated Kira. Something was still off, but his mind was so fuzzy, and he was so tired…

"Then I suppose I'll just have to make you."

And then they were fighting, fists flying at each other, kicks aiming for vital points, hands forcing each other towards the edge. Kira's hands were harsh, bruising L's hips and arms. But L was just as skilled a fighter, and Kira was bleeding from a split lip, and there were bruises splotched up and down his chest, clearly visible through the way his dress shirt was so suggestively unbuttoned. Blood dripped to the ground with every move the two made, droplets flinging away and disintegrating into the storm. But despite that, despite the increasing number of cuts and bruises, despite their worsening states, neither genius would back down. They seemed perpetually locked in this battle, in this never-ending cycle of violence.

And then there was a gun.

L wasn't sure where the gun had come from, or why it was suddenly clutched in his hands, but it was there, and he was pointing it at Kira, and—

Bang!

The world went still. Save for the slight echo of the gunshot, everything was quiet. And Kira was watching L, and L was watching Kira, and… there was blood. Blood was dripping down Kira's shirt from the clean bullet wound in his chest, pooling around his feet as it reached the ground. Those red eyes were watching L with something akin to surprise and hurt. And of course he would seem hurt, when L had aimed that gun straight for his heart and pulled the trigger.

"L…" Kira rasped, blood on his lips. "I never thought you'd have the nerve…" And then he was falling, hitting the ground with a dull thud, head lolling limply on his shoulders. Despite himself, L moved to that body and knelt beside him, rolling him onto his back and looking into those red eyes.

But… they weren't red.

What?

L felt a wave of confusion spike through him as he stared into amber eyes. Those amber eyes rolled in his head as blood pooled, and finally they came to rest on L.

"L…" It was Light. Light was the one lying there, Light was the one he had shot.

"Light!" L's hands were in his lover's hair, wasting precious moments before he came to his senses and shot them down to his lover's chest, covering the bullet wound and attempting to stem the flow of scarlet. "Oh god, Light—but you were Kira, and you—!"

Light's eyes were cold, furious. "I thought you loved me." He pushed L away with strength beyond his battered form and was on his feet in an instant, towering over L, who was still leaning back on his elbows to look up into his lover's face. Blood poured from the teen's chest in unnatural amounts, fountaining downwards and splashing the rooftop with scarlet, scarlet so thick and copious that not even the pouring rain could wash it away. "You said that you loved me, L… and you decided to kill me? You gave up on me… you gave up! You chose Kira over me, you bastard!" Light had a knife. Where had it come from? He brandished the weapon at L, backing him up towards the ledge, copying Kira's movements from mere minutes ago. "I was going to protect you, you know… I was going to do anything and everything to save you. But now, after this? I can't even trust my first and only love." The knife slashed, and L felt a spike of pain in his stomach. Blood. More blood. L choked as the scarlet liquid overwhelmed him, and he knew somewhere deep within his mind that such a shallow wound to the stomach shouldn't make blood spurt from his mouth—it wasn't right, wasn't possible—but his mind wouldn't accept it.

He was backed up against the ledge again. Blood was everywhere, on both geniuses. And then, Light, the bastard, leaned in, and kissed him. He kissed him once, briefly, through the blood dripping from his lips, and then drew back with a grin. Some of that scarlet liquid dribbled down his chin, and spattered onto the rooftop, visible for mere moments before the rain diluted it beyond recognition.

"Goodbye, my love," Light whispered, raising his hand to L's chest. One push was all it took, and the detective fell. He fell forever, through darkness, through rain, blood surrounding him in a murderous halo. He fell through the ground, and then through the void, until there was fire all around him, and some horrible creature was staring him in the face and laughing endlessly, and—

L jolted up in bed with a gasp.

He half expected to feel familiar hands at his shoulders, shaking him lightly to awaken him from the nightmare. He thought, if only for a moment, that he would look up and see Light hovering over him in concern. But reality was swift to crash into him, and L fell back against the pillows with a huff as he remembered—Light was gone. And that dream…L shuddered, the image of Light leering down at him all-too fresh in his mind. It was just a dream, he reminded himself. Nothing more. I didn't really kill Light… I wouldn't kill him. I wouldn't! For several moments L just laid there, eyes locked onto the ceiling. Then he turned his head and looked around.

It was still night, judging by the darkened atmosphere. Matt and Mello were curled up next to each other, dead asleep, and Near was in much the same state. L slowly got to his feet and headed for the door. He moved as if in a daze, almost completely silent as not to wake his successors. He succeeded, closing the door with a soft click, then continued down the hall. As he walked, he found himself unable to quiet his racing mind.

This will help, L reasoned. I'll go to the investigation room and work for a bit. That will make me feel better, I'm sure. I'll see what Kira and Beyond have been up to, and I'll pull together whatever data I can. If I'm not going to be able to sleep, then I'll at least do something useful.

L winced as he realized that doing something useful entailed bringing someone he loved to justice. Or at least, the shell of someone he loved. Maybe I can find a way out. If I can just find out where he is and capture him, then perhaps I'll be able to find some sort of solution, a way to purge Kira from Light's mind. But I won't be able to do much so long as the successors want to kill him the instant we catch him. I'll be hard pressed to find a way around them. Maybe I can snatch Kira from their clutches before they have a chance to deliver him to the authorities. If I do that, then I'll be able to work on getting rid of him without the pressure of my successors attempting to have him executed. Or if I can't do that, then perhaps I'll have to find a way to ask a shinigami how I can get rid of Kira by other means. The only method I know will work involves Light giving up possession—and now that Kira is in control, I feel quite certain in the assumption that he will not do such a thing. But if I do manage to capture Kira and detain him without the successor's knowledge, perhaps I will be able to torture him into giving it up. L cut himself off suddenly, clasping a hand over his mouth to hold down the bile rising in his throat. The thought of purposefully bringing harm to Light, even if he was possessed by Kira…it was revolting. He knew immediately that he wouldn't be able to do it. Besides…even if I go through with torturing him, there's no way Kira will ever break. He'd die, so to speak, if he gave up possession, since Light would forget him altogether—but he would also die if he refused to give up the notebook, for he'd no doubt end up being executed. And if it's a choice between dying alone or taking Light with him, I have no doubt which option he'll choose.

L groaned, squeezing the bridge of his nose between two fingers. I have a dark, terrible feeling that there is no other way. And if that's the case… There would really be no way out of this. Once he located Kira and Beyond…then, perhaps, he would be able to find a way to get rid of Kira once and for all, but…it was so unlikely. He found himself caught; caught between foolish, desperate hope and pessimistic realism. Looking up, L found himself looking upon the door to the investigation room. He reached out a hand and tugged the door open.

When L walked into the room, it was pitch black. Clearly everyone had gone home. Frowning deeply, the detective moved further into the darkened space, eyes searching over the floor. It seemed that Watari had not yet cleaned up the glass from the shattered computer screen—nor had he cleaned up the blood. As he neared his desk, L's features twisted disgustedly as his eyes fell upon said glass. He hadn't realized it when it had happened; he'd been far too shaken up—but he noticed now, with an ironic sort of amusement, that Kira's shot had shattered the screen of Light's computer. That computer, the one he'd worked at day in and day out for upwards of a year, was completely unusable now. Not just that, but the shards of glass were coated in sticky, drying blood. L's blood. The detective jerked his head away from the sight. He couldn't use his normal computer, not when it was so close to such a scene. Instead, he moved further into the room, thankful that all the computers in the investigation room shared the same information and files.

It wasn't until he came upon a hideously large splatter of blood that he realized where he'd walked. His footsteps had carried him to the desk nearest the door. The desk where Aizawa had been shot and killed. And just as Watari hadn't yet cleaned up the glass, he certainly hadn't cleaned up the pool of blood. At least the body is gone, L thought morbidly. That, at least, Watari had taken care of. He wondered vaguely where the inventor had taken Aizawa's body, and whether or not his family had been informed. He'd had a wife and daughter, after all. I'll have to ask Watari to secure their financial future; the last thing they need is to have to worry about monetary issues after the death of their family member. L's eyes locked on the splatter of blood as he began to move away, and for a moment he found himself disturbingly captivated by the pool of red. It was horrifying, he thought, that the scarlet liquid sprayed out before him had once been part of a living, breathing human. All that blood had once kept one of his subordinates alive. It made him more conscious than ever of the fact that human life always ended the same way—with a sudden, unexpected jolt of the heart, and a last, gasping breath. It would be the same for him, he knew. One day, he too would end up just like Aizawa. As would Watari. As would Near. As would Light. As would anyone and everyone who possessed the cruel temptress known as life.

Forcing his thoughts away from the morbid subject, L finally turned away from the blood and moved to the computer that was normally occupied by Matsuda. He seated himself in the comfortable chair and clicked on the monitor, then turned on the computer itself. It whirred happily as it came to life, the noise acting as a contradiction to L's dark mood. The computer swiftly brought up a list of folders. Each folder had the name of one of the task force members, and each one contained a collection of work that that particular member had compiled. At the end of each day, all new work was synced with that person's folder, meaning that should a computer be destroyed, none of the work would be lost. L immediately moved to his own file and opened it. Several windows popped up immediately—windows that L had been searching through when Mello had called him over to talk. L was instantly bathed in the harsh glow of charts and data. He closed them without a second thought—he had no use for them; Light had already been snatched away, so he didn't need to do research on multiple personalities anymore. Though, he thought, Kira was no ordinary personality, and he doubted that any of the information would have been able to help him.

L frowned suddenly. He remembered the way Light—no, the way Kira had been working so hard at his computer the previous day. He'd clearly been focused, far too much so for it to have been an act. What had he been working on? L reached over to the computer beside Matsuda's and switched it on, accessing Light's folder without a word. Hmm? What's this?

The folder had been completely wiped out. And since the daily sync had already happened, that meant there would be no way to access whatever Kira had been working on. L cursed internally. He had a dark feeling that whatever the teen had been working on had been quite important. Otherwise, there would have been no use for erasing all his data.

So yet another one of his attempts had turned out to be useless. Growling furiously, L switched off the other computer and returned to Matsuda's. He began pulling up countless news sites, police records, and morgue registries. If Kira had begun killing in a way that would leave a message, then this is how he would find out. It didn't take him long to gather pages of information—he may have been shaken up, but he still possessed the ability to create charts filled with all the data from Kira's victims.

"L?"

L jolted up in his chair, swiveling around to locate the source of the voice. "Ah," he said, locating the elderly man standing in the doorway. "Watari. I presume you were watching the security footage?"

Watari walked slowly forward, standing at attention a few feet away from L. "I was." A pause. "I wish for you to rest. After all, you have just undergone a terrible loss."

L turned his gaze back on the monitor. "I cannot rest. I must find Light." I must find a way to rid him of the disease that is Kira.

The look on Watari's face went from concerned to pitying in a heartbeat. "Oh, L, I realize how broken you must be over this, but you must understand that Light is gone."

"He's still in there," L protested, even though he had looked at this case from every imaginable angle, and figured that even if Light was somewhere within Kira's head, it was very unlikely that he'd be able to regain full control unless he relinquished possession of the Death Note—which again, was terribly unlikely. But even with his understanding of his situation, L couldn't bring himself to verbally admit it. He was in denial. He knew he was in denial. But he couldn't seem to pull the wool from his eyes. "I will track Kira down and find a way to purge him from Light's mind at all costs."

Watari's stance deflated, his fingers rising to the bridge of his nose. "You are exhausted. After some rest we should discuss this again."

"I have already rested," L said. "Speaking to me now as opposed to in the morning will not change my stance on this. I will get Light back."

"L, surely you understand—"

"Look at this, Watari." L jabbed a finger at the screen, gesturing to the information he'd managed to compile. "The Kira killings have increased enormously in the past few hours. Kira and Beyond are already acting. But they aren't using the usual victims." He pointed to one of the two columns of information. "All of the victims in this column are criminals. They're Kira's normal victims. But these victims…" he pointed to the other group of names, faces, and times. "These people were all innocent—and there's an exponentially greater amount than the number of criminals. So why… why are they killing like this? Kira has always been obsessed with justice. He wouldn't just start offing innocents."

"Perhaps you should consult with your successors on the matter. In the morning."

That almost made L smile. Almost. "If I cannot crack this riddle tonight, then I will consult them when they awaken."

Watari sighed. "I see that you cannot be reasoned with."

"No, I am afraid not. Instead of berating me, perhaps you should sterilize the floors. They are, after all, coated in glass and blood."

The inventor shook his head wearily. "Very well, L. That is what I came down here to do in the first place, after all. But please, do not deprive yourself of basic life necessities. You must eat and sleep."

L offered his old mentor a sad smile. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to do either, unfortunately."

Watari mirrored L's smile with one of his own, responding, "I figured you'd say as much. If that is what you wish, then I will allow you to do as you please. But be warned—I will not allow you to self destruct. Should your condition dip below the point of manageability, then I will be forced to remove you from your position as L. I told you before that should you become unable to perform as the detective you are meant to be, then I would gladly take you out of action—and that hasn't changed."

"Yes, I am aware. And I intend to keep that from happening."

The inventor dipped his head in acknowledgement. And then, without another word, he turned for the door, presumably to procure the necessary cleaning supplies.

The instant he was out of sight, L turned back to the monitor. He stared blankly at the charts, eyes raking over the information he'd compiled over the past few minutes. Information that he had no idea what to do with. He…he was lost. He didn't know what to do next. And when L didn't know what to do, he researched. And so that was what he did. He sat there, bathed in the sickly pale light of the monitor, and researched anything and everything he could, all while images of a beautiful amber-haired boy floated through his mind.

†††

Near and the other successors entered the investigation room the next morning, well before the task force arrived, only to find L sitting at one of the computers. His eyes were slightly glazed, and he was slumped over tiredly. Watari was seated next to him. The inventor's eyes flickered up to meet those of the successors. He rose, presumably figuring that L would be safe in the hands of his successors, and left.

"L?" Near asked, moving forward. "Are you okay?"

L shook himself, turning to face them. His knees were drawn up to his chest, and his thumb was between his teeth. He looked crazed, with that dull gleam in his eyes. The successors were immediately concerned.

"Are you well?" Near asked. Both him and the other successors knew all too well that Kira's departure had left him badly shaken; he'd barely been able to function the night before. It wasn't much of a surprise to see him looking so torn up now, not after everything he'd been forced to endure the previous day. Kira had beaten him, had beaten them all. It was as simple as that. And now L was being forced to pull himself back from a crushing defeat, a defeat that had left him without a lover.

"Successors," L said sharply, jabbing a finger in their direction. "I have a riddle for you to solve."

"A riddle?" This was from Matt. "You're trying to solve riddles when Kira and Beyond are no doubt on a rampage?"

"Just one," L murmured. "Mere hours after Kira took control, he began killing people again. But he isn't killing criminals. He's killing everyone, even innocents with no criminal history. Why is this? Is it that Beyond is the one murdering civilians, and Kira has no knowledge of it? Is that why Kira's killing patterns have changed? Or is it that Kira is sending me a message of sorts? But if that is the case, what is it? I haven't noticed any patterns in times of death, or words spelled out in the names…"

The successors exchanged concerned glances. Had L's mental state really degraded so far that he couldn't even solve this puzzle?

Mello cleared this throat awkwardly. "Well, if Kira and Light were once the same person, but were separated, and if Kira is evil and Light is good, then it makes sense that Light was the one providing Kira's sense of justice while they were the same person. Once two personalities were created, everything good was pushed into the Light personality, and all the bad was pushed into the Kira personality."

"To put it simply, Kira no longer has Light to hold him back," Matt spoke up. "And even if Kira isn't the one killing innocents, that would still mean that he's ordered Beyond to do it. It just proves how far Kira has fallen. And what's more, this is most likely a distraction. There's no doubt that Kira and Beyond are putting together a plan, and don't want you to get the better of them before they have a chance to execute it. If they've done something so bold as this, then they're almost definitely trying to draw your attention away from their plans."

Near continued, "And even if Kira is still desperate to create a perfect world, then he can easily rationalize this course of action—after all, if the deaths of hundreds of innocents distracts the great L long enough for the god of the new world to accomplish the creation of said world, then the sacrifice of those lives would be completely justified. They would be martyrs, sacrificial lambs led to the slaughter, all for the sake of the new world. Kira must be saying to himself, I am doing this so that a perfect world can come into existence, so it can't be evil. So long as the deaths of a few benefit the lives of the many, then what I am doing can't possibly be called murder. Or more interestingly, perhaps he realizes that what he is doing is evil, and believes that becoming a criminal is worth it if it means creating a world without crime. To be quite honest, there's no telling what state of mind he's in right now."

L's eyes widened further and further with each word Near spoke. "Of course… " he whispered. "I didn't think of that." He dropped his head to his hands. "My mental state… it has degraded, hasn't it? If I wasn't able to solve a puzzle that you put together in seconds…"

"You're just upset," Near comforted. "Please, rest. We'll take you back to your room, you'll rest, and when you wake up we'll have a lead."

"A lead on what, exactly?" L asked dully. "What are you planning to do?"

Hesitation.

"We are going to catch Kira and Beyond," Near said at last. "I explained it to you last night, L." He had not, however, explained it to the other successors, thus the strange looks they were giving him. He moved to L and helped him stand, not at all surprised when the detective wavered.

L pushed him away harshly. "I can walk by myself, thank you." And although he was shaky, he headed for the door. Near followed him without a word, while Matt and Mello stayed behind to look at what he'd been working on.

Matt shook his head, observing the various charts L had been furiously typing up. Causes of death paired with criminal records and location, and various other bits of information. "I'm growing concerned," he murmured.

Mello leaned over Matt's shoulder and locked his gaze on the monitor. "Yeah, so am I. But there's not a whole lot we can do, is there? We both know that Light isn't coming back, so this is just something L's going to have to learn to live with."

"Well, he can't live with it until he knows Light is gone for good. He'll keep looking until then." Matt's voice was unusually soft.

Mello snorted, "He can't live with it until he knows Light is dead, huh? In that case it seems that we should just hunt him down and kill him as fast as we can. That way L won't have to be in pain for longer than is necessary. Near's probably come to the same conclusion."

Matt closed his eyes, expression twisting painfully. "No, he wouldn't decide something like that without telling us…right?"

"There's no telling what's going on inside that head of his," Mello snapped. Then, clearly seeing his lover's distress, he went on, "Hey…we'll talk to Near when he comes back, okay? We'll devise a plan and put your mind at ease."

Nodding uneasily, Matt turned away. "Funny…" he laughed without humor. "I get the feeling that this plan of ours isn't going to be very favorable." He looked back at Mello, waited for his lover to laugh and exclaim, that's ridiculous, of course it's going to be favorable, favorable for everyone involved! Everything is going to work out perfectly! But he didn't, and when Matt turned back to the computer monitor, his stomach refused to unclench, and his expression wouldn't untwist from its pained state.

†††

About ten minutes later, all three successors found themselves gathered in the still-empty investigation room. All was silent save for the soft puffs of noise that accompanied their breath, and the soft clicks and taps as Matt poked halfheartedly at his Gameboy. His heart clearly wasn't in it. For a long couple of minutes, none of the three spoke. They stared, be it at the ground, a wall, or the screen of a handheld gaming system, and thought. There were obvious topics to be discussed, but none of them wanted to open their mouths and let fly the words of condemnation.

Mello was the one to break the silence. "We need to talk about this."

Sill, there was silence. It wasn't for another few moments that Near spoke, his question echoing darkly around the room. "What did you want to discuss?"

"First off, you should tell us what you said to L," Mello requested.

Near shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, yes…I apologize for not conversing with you on the matter first, but I felt that I had the authority to speak for the three of us. Last night, after I sent the two of you to move the beds into your room, I told L of our plan."

"What?" Mello demanded furiously. "Just what the hell did you tell him our plan was? And why didn't you tell us what our plan was?"

Dipping his head, Near responded, "You have my sincerest apologies. As I said, I felt that I had the authority to speak for us all. And I fear that my mind may not have been at its sharpest. I was…emotionally rattled, so to speak. As for what I told L…I informed him that we were going to hunt down Kira and Beyond and turn them in to the authorities."

Matt's thumbs froze over the buttons of his game. "Light will die if that happens."

"Yes, that's the point. As unfortunate as it is, I do not believe it would be beneficial for us to let him live any longer. He has been possessed by Kira, and the only way for him to return to normal that we know of is for him to relinquish possession of the notebook. And since that is clearly not going to happen, I told L that we would simply find Kira and Beyond and have them executed."

Matt's voice was dangerously low as he spoke. "There may be another way. We don't know for sure that Light can't be brought back. We should at least attempt to find a way to rescue him before we haul off and pump his skull with lead!"

"Matt…" Near murmured. "I recognize that you became friends with the Yagami boy, but he is no longer the person you knew. Or have you forgotten the way he threatened to kill you? Or the way he raised that gun to Aizawa's head and plugged a bullet through his brain? If Light was still in there, do you really think he'd let that happen?"

"Forget that—you shouldn't have told L that we were going to kill his lover!" Matt burst out furiously. "Have you no heart?"

"Would you rather me have lied to him?"

"Hell, you should have done anything else! You should have lied, you should have told him it was all a dream, you should have comforted him, not told him that you were going to have Light executed!"

"He is Kira," Near reminded him tonelessly. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we have no choice in the matter."

"There's always a choice," Matt responded harshly. "We have the choice to detain him and find a way to rid him of Kira for good!"

There was a sudden burst of movement, drawing Matt and Near's gaze to the space beside them. Mello had pushed himself off the desk he was leaning against remarkably fast, and was shooting the floor a death glare. He'd remained surprisingly quiet for the duration of the little spat between the other two successors. But now he stood, spine rigid, arms crossed over his chest, and glowered down at his lover. "Shut up."

"Mello—!"

"No, Matt." He stalked across the few feet separating him from Matt and curled his hands in the other teen's collar, yanking him so close that their lips were mere centimeters from brushing. "That bastard tried to kill you. He would have killed you if that gun had been properly loaded. So there's no way… no way in hell that I'm letting him live. If we find him, I'll shoot him myself without a second thought. I'll make him pay for what he did to you!"

"Mello…" Matt trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. "You can't…"

"I can and I will." He jerked his head to one side, glaring over at Near. "Let me make this perfectly clear. I don't care about our plan, whatever it may turn out to be. All I care about is pressing a gun to Kira's pretty little head and pulling the trigger. He'll pay for this if it's the last thing I do!"

Near dipped his head, eyes slipping closed momentarily. "You've always been so emotional…"

"So what if I am?" The blonde spat furiously. "You're the supposed to be the brains and I'm supposed to be the heart, right? We're supposed to work so well together…at least, that's what should happen in theory."

"We would work well together if you could just stop trying to one-up me."

Mello's lips curled in a nasty snarl, a low growl building in his throat. He was clearly ready to spit forth a venomous response, but Matt cut him off.

"Stop it, both of you!" he ordered harshly. "We have bigger things to discuss than your petty rivalry!"

The other two successors froze, both staring at him with wide eyes. It was quite unusual for Matt to take such an interest in their little spats.

Near was the one to back down first. He tore his gaze away from the third ranked successor, lowering his line of vision to his bare feet. "Very well. My apologies to the both of you."

"Yeah, whatever…" Mello muttered. "But my position hasn't changed! I'll kill that little brat, I swear it!"

"I don't agree with your emotional take on this whole situation," Near said, his tone low. "However, I more than agree with your stance on killing Kira. As I told L last night, I think the most obvious course of action would be to make sure Kira is executed before he has the chance to harm anyone else. But we must be careful how we go about it. While it may not be strictly necessary, having L and the task force's help will be beneficial to us—and neither will be eager to help us find Kira and Beyond if they think we're just going to kill them. It will take some convincing in order to gain their aid."

"Then we'll make up some bullshit about how we want nothing more than to save Light!" Mello snapped.

"It won't work," Near reminded him. "I've already revealed our intentions to L. He won't believe us if we just start proclaiming our desire to rescue Kira at all costs. As unfortunate as it is, it appears that both you and Matt were right—I should have waited to say anything to him until we devised a real plan. If I had, then this would be much easier."

Mello snorted, "Don't act like an idiot next time."

Narrowing his eyes, Near responded, "There will not be a next time, so it will not happen again. But we can't dwell on it—the fact is, a mistake was made, and now it is our job to maneuver around it. And I think I know what we should tell L and the task force to remedy my error. I've been thinking about this case rather hard, you see. Am I correct in saying that Light's memories returned when he touched the notebook?"

Mello frowned, clearly not following where Near was going. "Yeah, that sounds right."

"Then what would happen, I wonder, if we destroyed the notebook? Would it be the same as relinquishing possession?

"You're thinking of this now?" Mello yelped. "Now, after Kira has taken the Death Note and fled? Why the hell didn't you think of this when we still had the damn notebook?"

"My mind was otherwise occupied. But that's beside the point—if I'm correct, and destroying the notebook is the equivalent of giving up ownership, then our problem has been solved for us."

Mello's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh!" he gasped out. "I understand. We can't let L or the task force know that we want to kill Kira and Beyond—but we need their help to locate them. And we can't just pretend to want to bring them in alive, because you've already told L that we intend to kill them both. Therefore, we need a cover. We need something that will put both L and the task force off, something that will convince L that we really do want to help Light. And this could be just what we need." He jabbed a finger at Near for emphasis. "You want to tell L and the task force that destroying the notebook will get rid of Kira and leave Light unharmed. If you do that, then you've created the perfect cover for our desire to locate them and get close enough to shoot—because, of course, in order for us to destroy the notebook, we'll have to get close. Knowing that, L and the task force will eagerly help us locate them, and won't have any doubts when we move in close enough to shoot."

Near nodded. "Exactly. Once we find them, it will be a simple matter of entering the building before anyone else and shooting the both of them before L and the task force have a chance to protest."

"It could work!" Mello exclaimed eagerly. "But what about L? That won't really convince him, will it?"

Twirling a lock of hair between his fingers, Near murmured, "L is mentally unstable. I have no doubt that he has already formed countless plans involving snatching Kira away from us and experimenting until he finds a way to purge him from Light's mind. But if we give him a way that we think will work—destroying the notebook—then I have no doubt that his attention will fall entirely on that. He'll be so consumed by the idea that he can save his lover that he'll completely overlook our real plan. I don't think he'll even suspect that we have our own agenda, especially not if I give him my best apology and tell him that this way is sure to work."

"Wait!" Matt broke in. He'd been sitting in silence, watching the conversation between his two friends as he would a tennis match. "If you think destroying the notebook will work, then why don't we just do that instead? If it's easy to destroy it, then there's no need to just kill him, right? We could save Light, and we wouldn't have to kill anyone to do it!"

Near responded, "Unfortunately, it is quite unlikely that we will manage to get that close to either notebook without Kira or Beyond killing us. It is safer if we shoot them at a distance before they have a chance to realize what we're up to."

"No!" Matt insisted. "No, Kira and Beyond aren't just going to kill us like that. You know how much the two of them love drama. They want to play with us before they eat us. They're not going to cut their game short just because we're getting close. And I'm sure Kira wants to destroy L for making Light fall in love with him. After all, that's what ruined his perfect host body. He won't kill us until he's made L suffer. So that means there'll be nothing stopping us from trying to destroy the notebook!"

"We don't even know if destroying the Death Note will actually work," Mello reminded him harshly. "It's just an assumption—we could be entirely wrong! It would be foolish for us to risk our lives on a fact that may not be a fact at all. It's easier and safer for us to shoot on sight, and from a distance. Matt, you're supposed to be genius. So act like it. You know as well as I do that this is the only way we can be certain that we'll keep our own lives and end Kira's evil.

"L will be devastated!" Matt protested.

"You said it yourself," Mello snapped. "The sooner L realizes thatLight—Kira—is gone for good, the sooner that devastation will fade. The sooner this all ends, the sooner he'll be able to begin the healing process, and the sooner he'll be able to go back to his job as L. Because let's face it, he's not exactly performing at one-hundred percent at the moment."

"No," Near agreed. "Decidedly not. You're correct, Mello—in order for L to return to his former self as swift as possible, Kira must be killed—and it must happen soon." His gaze flickered to the third ranked successor, and he continued, "Matt, I realize how difficult this is for you. I realize that you were friends with Light Yagami. But the fact remains that he is no longer the person he once was. He tried to kill you, and should that opportunity arise once more, he will without fail choose to pull the trigger—and this time, the gun will be loaded."

"No…" Matt attempted desperately.

"Matt." Near stepped forward slowly, one hand shooting out, tilting the successor's head up so that their eyes were forced to meet. "What if it had been Mello?"

He blinked. "What?"

"What if it had been Mello?" Near repeated. "What if you had been the one chained to the desk, and Mello had been the one with the gun pressed to the side of his head? What if you'd thought he would be the one killed instead of you? Would you still be so eager to defend Kira?"

A flicker of anger shot through Matt's eyes as he no doubt pictured the image Near was describing.

"It is a wide-accepted truth that death is easier than life. When you looked into Kira's eyes and thought that you were going to die, you accepted it, no matter how terrified you may have been at the time. And because of that terror and acceptance, you failed to find anger. You refused to become angry with Kira. But Mello was on the other side of that equation. He saw that your death was close, and he knew that he would be forced to continue living without you—something that is, no doubt, harder than being the one that is killed. And so, when faced with the horrifying thought of a future alone, he became furious with Kira. He became more than furious, all because Kira was the one who would be subjecting him to that lonely fate. This, you understand, is why Mello is so set on killing Kira. And if you had been on the other end of the proceedings, if you had been the one contemplating life alone, then you would feel much the same way. Don't pretend that you didn't just feel a spike of anger at the thought, Matt. You know it just as well as I do; that boy must die. The only thing stopping you is the thought that you knew him as Light rather than Kira—a thought, I might add, that would have vanished had you been in Mello's position."

Matt's fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. His head dipped towards the floor, seemingly weighed down with sorrow, but it was terribly obvious just how furious he was. Furious because he wanted to look no further than Kira's innocent mask, furious because he didn't want to take part in the terrible deception Near and Mello were suggesting—and above all, furious because he knew that Near was right. He knew that had he been in Mello's position, he would be screaming for Kira's head. "You…" he tried, his voice cracking miserably.

"It's okay," Near said shortly. "If you are concerned about Light believing that you have betrayed him, then you have nothing to fear—I can assure you, he will feel no such thing. He begged for death, remember? He pleaded with L to end his life before Kira took hold once more. If anything, Light believed that you—that all of us—were betraying him the entire time we left him alive and possessed by Kira. But now, our decision to finally grant his wish and kill him will erase our past betrayal. He wants this, Matt. He wants to die, wants to atone for his sins in the only way he knows how. What we will do is not an act of murder, but an act of mercy. We will release him from the bonds he longs to throw off."

The noise that left Matt's throat was strangled, pained. He stayed that way, head bowed, nails biting into his palms, for a long moment. His whole body shook, tremors wracking his form terribly. But even through the shaking, even through the soft, pained noises, Near and Mello were able to recognize the short nod that gave his assent. Do it, he seemed to be hissing, reluctant though it was. If it is the only way…I will go along with your plan to kill him.

"We're in agreement, then," Near said softly, eyes resting on Matt's shaking form. "We'll kill Kira on sight. And when the task force and L are gathered in the investigation room, we'll lie to them. We'll lie about our real plan."

Mello nodded darkly. "No questions asked."

Matt looked away sharply, unease painting his features. But despite his obvious displeasure, he said nothing. He too, it seemed, had realized that the war he was waging was pointless. The pieces of the game were already in motion, and nothing he did would be able to stop them.

The successors would attempt to kill Kira, hiding their true intentions from the L and the task force. L would attempt to save Light while under the impression that destroying the Death Note would save him. The task force would work with L and the successors, clueless as to what was really going on. And Kira and Beyond would attempt to kill them all.

"It seems that the stage has been set, then," Mello said coolly, uncrossing his arms as he headed for the door. "Let's see how this plays out, shall we?"

†††

About five hours after the task force arrived, L was right back where he always was, in front of his computer in the investigation room. He had clearly been exhausted, seeing as he fell asleep almost the moment his head hit the pillow. But nightmares plagued him. He shuddered as he recalled his most current dream—him and Light back up on the rooftop, much like his first nightmare. But this time Light was the one who pulled out a gun and shot him, then laughed and stood over him as he died. Or, actually, it might have been Kira who shot him. It was becoming more and more difficult to tell the two of them apart.

"We need to discuss our plan."

Ah, yes. Near had practically taken over the investigation, seeing as L was hardly in a position from which to command the task force.

The task force…they were in bad shape. All of them were completely frazzled from the events of the previous day. Despite the fact that they no doubt longed for an explanation, none of them had dared to request one just yet. It was as if they were keeping their sanity contained in walls of glass, and any words of inquiry would shatter that glass beyond recognition.

"What's the point of developing a plan?" That was from Soichiro. "My son is Kira." And that, at least, he had figured out for himself.

But he didn't know the full truth. No one on the task force knew about Kira being another personality within Light. And as much as L despised the thought of giving away Light's secret, it seemed as if it were the most logical course of action.

Near seemed to be of the same mind. "You will understand why we need to formulate a plan so badly once you have the same information as us. It is time that you know the truth."

This made Soichiro look up. "You have information that you have withheld from us?"

"Woah," Matsuda gasped, "Really, Ryuzaki? You're withholding information?"

The name sent a shard of ice straight to L's heart. It was fake. "You don't have to call me that anymore," he rasped. "Kira already has my name, so long as he is working with Beyond. And, of course, he knows my face. You should just call me L, at least while we're in here."

The successors seemed alarmed by this, but none of them said anything about it. Instead, Matt stepped forward, addressing the task force. "It is true that we have withheld information, but from this point on we will share all of our information and ideas on the matter." He glanced back at L. "Care to explain?"

He was asking him to explain? That was rich. L shook his head without a word, gesturing vaguely to Near.

The first ranked successor seemed to understand. He nodded shortly and began to speak. In the next thirty minutes Near went on to describe everything that had happened over the past several months. First he described, in detail, the rules and stipulations of the Death Note—the task force had already been informed of the basic components of the notebook, but they hadn't been told the specifics. Then he documented how weak Light had been after his confinement. He described how he had fallen ill, and how Beyond had assumed due to L and Light's living situation that they were romantically attracted to one another, and how that along with Light's former identity as Kira had lead him to want to capture him. He spoke of Beyond's determination to take Light away only after an expression of love had been shared between the teen and the detective he was chained to.

Soichiro choked indignantly at this, but no one paid him any heed.

Near explained how Beyond had captured Light and subjected him to the Death Note, returning to him his memories. He went into detail on how the notebook had created split personalities within Light, and shared that when the teen had been confined to his room, he was really fighting off Kira. Near recounted the constant battle Light had waged against Kira, and how his mental and physical state had degraded steadily over a time period of almost two weeks. And finally, the task force was told of how Kira finally wrenched control and threatened Matt in order to regain his Death Note.

"Wait, wait!" Soichiro protested. "That doesn't make sense. Near, you said that Beyond was waiting for confirmation of L's alleged feelings—" (He looked as if he had swallowed something sour.) "—Then why the hell did he kidnap Light before that confirmation was achieved?" He was completely stone-faced, unwavering in his certainty that a love confession between his son and L had not, under any circumstances, taken place.

Near glanced at L awkwardly, uncertain of how much the detective wanted him to say.

L glared at Soichiro, getting to his feet.

"L?" Matt asked nervously. "Are you okay?"

L's fists clenched at his sides, his entire body quaking in anger. Was it really so unbelievable that L and Light were together? Did Soichiro hate him so much that he was disgusted by the thought that he had feelings for Light? "You want to know…" he rasped, "… why Beyond kidnaped him?"

It wasn't just the successors looking concerned now. The task force, all of whom had already been wearing expressions of mild worry before L's startling behavior, and whose expressions had only grown more uneasy as he continued speaking, looked downright terrified.

"L, please," Mello started, moving towards him. "Just calm down. We know you miss your friend, but—"

"I am in love with Light Yagami," L declared.

Silence.

The task force was completely silent. Matsuda's jaw appeared to have come unhinged, Mogi's eyebrows had practically shot up into his hairline, and Soichiro…well, there was no describing the way he looked. Even the successors appeared surprised, though they already knew the nature of the relationship between Soichiro's son and L.

"Did you just say—?" Soichiro choked on thin air, one hand rising to his chest. L was reminded of Soichiro's heart attack early on in the case, and was momentarily concerned that he was going to have a repeat incident. That was really the last thing he needed; accidentally getting Light's father killed. "Are you seriously saying that—?" He didn't seem able to complete a sentence.

"Yes," L affirmed. "I wasn't going to tell you, but it seems apparent that you won't understand the true nature of this case until you know everything." L locked eyes with his lover's father. "You don't know the backstory, so to say, of this case."

"L, you don't have to do this," Matt said softly. "It's enough to say that you're romantically involved, just leave it at that!"

"No. You must know everything," L insisted. "This whole thing started because of my inability to control my emotions. They deserve to know."

None of the successors seemed happy. But they still backed down, allowing L to tell his story.

He drew in a deep, shaky breath. He had to do this. He had to tell the truth. "I became attracted to Light shortly after the beginning of our time chained together." L could have laughed at the uncomfortable look on Soichiro's face. "I had never encountered someone on the same level as me, and I became drunk on that rare privilege, to have a conversation that was truly, intellectually challenging. So when Light got sick, I was very concerned. I treated him more like a precious gem than a sick acquaintance, and those… non-platonic displays were what made Beyond think there was something between us. Once Light recovered I spoke to him of my sentiment towards him, and he returned my confession eagerly. That confession is most likely what made Beyond decide to abduct Light." Well, that and the physical intimacy they had shared shortly afterwards. But L wouldn't tell Soichiro that; he didn't want him to pass out on the floor of the investigation room.

Soichiro was shaking. "So…" he ground out. "You were the one who got my son kidnaped. It's your fault." His voice was dangerously soft, and his eyes, though hidden behind his glasses, were no doubt narrowed furiously.

"There's more." L didn't know what possessed him to keep speaking. The situation was already bad enough… but perhaps his strong sense of justice was kicking in, insisting that he be punished by someone for what he'd allowed to happen to Light. "When Kira was fighting to take over Light's mind, he was in terrible agony. He was in pain every hour of the day, completely bedridden—and he begged me to kill him, to end his suffering. He knew that Kira was going to win, and he didn't want to live to become him once again. So he asked time and time again if I would kill him. But I refused to do it. And… that's not the worst of it. Towards the end, I knew—or at least, I strongly suspected—that Kira was going to win. I was almost certain that Light wouldn't be with me much longer. But…but I still refused to kill him. I loved him so much…"

Soichiro's head was in his hands now, his expression unreadable. And when he spoke, his voice was clipped, aggravated. "You do not love my son."

"What?" L's breath whooshed from him without his permission in a shocked outburst. "I love him more than anything else! I would give anything for him; I would sacrifice my life!"

"But you wouldn't sacrifice his."

"That's foolish! If I'd killed Light, then where would that leave…" L trailed off. Where would that leave me? His mind went blank for an instant as he realized just how self-centered his thoughts must seem. He wondered blankly when he had gone from wanting what was best for Light to only being concerned with how his lover's death would affect him. He was sure that at some point he had wanted what was best for Light, but now…

What happened?

"You don't love him," Soichiro snapped. "You're supposed to do what's best for the person you love. I would die for my wife if the situation called for it. But if my wife were subjected to horrible mental pain that I knew she would never be relived of, then I would allow her to die, because I love her! I would never keep her in constant pain, refusing to let her die just because I would miss her!" He moved towards L slowly, until he was glaring down at the detective from a mere foot away. "But that's what you did to Light, isn't it? You kept him alive because you wanted him, treating him like a pet! And you, the master, thought only of yourself. What you feel for my son is not love, L. It is selfishness, and unwillingness to let go."

For the first time in years, L had no witty response. No logical comeback. It seemed as if all his intelligence had flown away, leaving him with a depressingly average mind. Or rather, his brain was kept locked away, and he couldn't find the key. All of his intelligence was still there, surely, he was just too shaken up to access it. L felt a sudden burst of horror as he realized there were tears brimming in his eyes. He blinked harshly, but was unable to will them away as he normally did. That horror built up as he realized tears were beginning to escape and roll down his face. Soichiro's expression twisted into shock as he realized that he had just made the greatest detective in the world cry.

L inched for the door. "I was weak!" he snapped through the tears. He should run, like he normally did when he was in an unfamiliar situation. He couldn't show weakness in front of the task force. But something made him hold his ground. "I'm sorry, Mr. Yagami, that I couldn't kill your son! I'm sorry that I succumbed to weakness! If I could go back, if I could do this whole mess over again, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot him before he had the chance to be tortured, or go through the agony of having Kira slamming into his mind for weeks on end! But the fact is, I can't do it all over, and me being sorry doesn't change the fact that my Light is gone." His tears had turned furious now. And what was worse, even as the words left his mouth, he wasn't sure if he was telling the truth. If he had the chance to go back…could he do it? Could he kill Light? Before he had the chance to continue thinking, his mouth had already spat out the remainder of his apology. "And so no matter what it takes, I am going to find Kira and bring him to justice, so that somehow I can get Light back!"

If the team had been shocked before, it was nothing compared to how they felt now. Not even the successors had ever seen L lose control like this.

L bit his tongue painfully as he immediately began to regret speaking. "Excuse me," he said shortly, tears still running down his face. "I think I will be returning to work in my room for the remainder of today. I will send a message if I uncover anything crucial."

And with that, he turned and left the room in haste.

†††

Near stood immediately after L left, drawing all attention to him rather than the crying genius. "We should focus." We didn't get to tell him about destroying the notebook. This could wind up being problematic later.

The task force members stared at him as if he were a heartless monster. "Shouldn't we do something?" Matsuda asked softly. "Shouldn't you guys go after him? You know him best, after all."

Near shook his head. "I have already spoken with him about this. He will be better off alone anyways, and we need to focus on formulating a plan."

Mogi looked troubled, but didn't speak, as usual. Matsuda stepped back in surprise, and Soichiro sighed, his expression troubled. "This has all gotten out of hand," he murmured.

Near couldn't help but agree with him.

"We can still pull a win out of this if we do it right," Mello snapped. "While you were all out of the building, we came up with an idea as to how we can get Light back and still get rid of Kira and Beyond."

Soichiro's eyes snapped up to the second ranked successor. "You think we can save my son?" he gasped out. "How? What is your plan?"

This was where the lie began. Near paused, collecting his thoughts. He knew that this had to be perfect if it was going to work. The fact that L had stormed out was a bit of a problem, but it could be worked around with a little effort. "I have been thinking about this case, and all the rules of the Death Note," he began carefully, sticking to the script he'd written in his head. "Light regained his memories when he touched the notebook. And as we know, those memories created the Kira personality. Therefore, if Light relinquishes possession of the notebook and loses those memories, Kira will be killed, leaving Light unharmed. But as we all know, Light won't be able to relinquish possession so long as Kira is controlling him."

"Oh, I get it!" Matsuda exclaimed, a goofy smile on his face. "We're going to talk Light out of it long enough for him to relinquish possession, right? It'll be just like the movies!"

"No, Matsuda," Near responded coldly. "That is not what we will do. The successors and I believe that if we can manage to destroy the notebook, it will be the same as relinquishing possession. Kira will die, and Light will be saved. That will be our plan—we will track them down, and then we will destroy both notebooks. We will have Light back, and Beyond will be transported to maximum security prison. And once that happens, there will be no way the power of the notebook can be transferred, for there will be no one else to take ownership. All Death Notes in the human world will be destroyed once and for all. The Kira case will be closed."

Matsuda's eyes were as wide as saucers as he gasped, "Wow, that's so smart! Are you sure it'll work?"

Near was not at all sure that it would work. But still, he didn't need to be sure—after all, a fake plan had no need for absolute certainty. "I am certain, as are the other successors."

"Yeah," Mello threw in. "There's no doubt that it'll work. We just need to locate Kira and Beyond, and then we can take action. Think you can help us with that?"

"Of course!" Matsuda began, before halting as he received a sharp look from Soichiro.

"Wait just a minute," Soichiro said gruffly. "Isn't that a little too good to be true? We just destroy Kira's…" he paused, still feeling disbelief that a notebook had been the cause of all this. "…His Death Note? We destroy it and then we get Light back? There's no way it's going to be that simple."

"It is not at all simple," Near agreed. "We will need to not only locate Kira and Beyond, but to get in close enough to get our hands on their Death Notes. It will certainly be nowhere near simple. But I am certain that it will work, so please…trust me."

Soichiro swallowed hard, fists clenched at his sides. "I just…I just can't accept the fact that this is real. I can't accept the fact that my son is Kira. And I can't accept that destroying a notebook is the solution to all our problems."

Near kept his expression carefully neutral, but on the inside he was seething. Why couldn't Soichiro just mindlessly follow orders like the other members of the task force? Oh well, if all it took was a few sweet, petty lies to gain his support, then Near was more than happy to speak them. "Chief Yagami, make no mistake—Light used to be Kira, but that is no longer the case. Now they are two different people. So do not make the mistake of saying that Light is the same as Kira."

"My son created Kira. You can phrase it any way you want, but I know the truth—whether he's Kira now or not, that murderer was still spawned from my son's mind."

Near's eyes widened. He understood. He understood that burning, terrible question lingering in Soichiro's eyes.

Does my son deserve to be saved?

Was it possible…that Soichiro wasn't entirely certain that saving Light was the right thing to do? Was it possible that the man's strong sense of justice was demanding that his son be punished for creating the being known as Kira? It was an interesting thought…perhaps Near could use him. But not now, and not while the other task force members were near. "Chief Yagami," Near insisted. "You must—"

"How would your family feel?" Mello snapped, cutting him off.

Soichiro blinked, surprised. "What?"

"How would your family feel if they learned that Light was forever lost due to your reluctance to attempt to save him by destroying the Death Note? How would they feel if they knew that you were resistant to something that could very well save his life?"

"They…they would be—"

"They'd be devastated," Mello spat. "And not just that, but think of all the people who your son has killed! And think of all the people that he will kill, even if he carries out his murders through Kira! How can you call yourself a seeker of justice if you let him continue on his rampage without so much as attempting to stop him? You said it yourself, Light created Kira—Kira is a being that came from the darkest corners of your son's mind. Doesn't that make it your responsibility to hunt him down and get rid of him? Destroying the notebook will do that, Chief Yagami. Destroying the notebook will help Light atone for all the lives he has taken. Destroying the notebook will help you atone for the fact that you raised a son that became the most notorious mass murderer this world has ever seen. Destroying the notebook will put everything right. So why don't you help us? Why don't you help us get rid of the notebook that caused this disaster?"

"I—well—!" Soichiro spluttered.

"Please, Chief Yagami," Mello insisted, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "If you do this, then the Kira case will be closed, and everything will return to normal. I recognize that you want your son to pay for what he's done, but you shouldn't make him pay with his life, not he isn't fully at fault for our current situation."

Soichiro glared at the ground, fists clenching at his sides. "You really think this will work?"

"We know it will," Mello reiterated.

"Well, if you're sure…then I guess we have no choice." Soichiro turned to the other two members of the task force, asking, "Are both of you on board with this? Will you help to track down Kira and Beyond and put an end to them through the destruction of their notebooks?"

Matsuda didn't hesitate. "You got it, chief!" he exclaimed eagerly. "There's no way I could just sit back and let Light get hurt!"

Mogi gave a short nod, though he seemed a bit more hesitant. "If you believe it will work, then I have no choice but to aid you."

Soichiro gave a gruff sound of approval. "Good, then. I suggest we get started. If you find any clues as to Kira and Beyond's current location, inform the rest of the task force immediately. If you notice anything—patterns in time of death, location, age—then speak up without hesitation. We are going to find Kira and Beyond, and we are going to destroy those notebooks once and for all. We'll burn them and put an end to this!"

"Burn?" Near echoed thoughtfully.

"Of course," Soichiro responded shortly. "How else would we destroy two notebooks completely, without allowing even a scrap to remain intact?"

"Hmm…you're right, of course…" Near trailed off, twirling a lock of hair between his fingers. "Very well then—we will burn the notebooks."

Soichiro nodded, turning his chair around and returning to his computer. He seemed determined to say nothing more, and when a few moments passed in silence, the other two members of the task force turned around as well, leaving Near, Mello, and Matt to stare at each other wordlessly.

Matt, who had spoken not even a word throughout the duration of the conversation, turned away first. He locked his gaze on his Gameboy, ignoring his computer in favor of playing whatever game he had selected for that day. Mello, on the other hand, continued watching Near intently.

The first ranked successor shot Mello a short nod. It went exactly as planned, he communicated silently. The only thing left in our way is L. If we can convince him, then we will easily be able to claim Kira's life, and Beyond's as well.

Mello's lips quirked upwards in a bitter smirk. "Let us pray that L is as easily convinced as the task force," he murmured in a nearly inaudible tone. "Let us hope that he does not see through our little plan."

Near turned away immediately. "Indeed," he agreed without laying eyes on the blonde successor. He saw Mello watching, eyes narrowed, for several more seconds. But then he seemed to decide that the conversation was over, and a moment later he returned to his research.

L is the only one left, Near thought again. Once I convince L, once I make him believe without doubt that we want to help Light…then, and only then, will we be able to put an end to this year-long war between murderer and detective.

Once again, the next update will be next Tuesday. Next Tuesday. I'm actually a bit upset that this chapter didn't have some dramatic, unexpected ending just so I could torture you all with the wait…oh well, I suppose there'll be time for all sorts of drama later.

I hope you enjoyed, and be sure to drop me a review if you did!