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

23. Darkness Falls

Welcome to chapter twenty-three! This is the last chapter that takes place entirely in headquarters. After this...well...let's just say it gets a bit more interesting. Also, last chapter I totally forgot to mention that part five ended! This is the beginning of part six, the final part, which I like to refer to as The Forest.

To one of my lovely guests: I'm way to lazy to check if I said that in chapter one, but yeah, that's the correct number of chapters. Shhh, let's just keep it between us ;)

Thank you so, so, so much if you left a review on the last chapter! You guys motivate me to no end!

Chapter 23: Darkness Falls

The successors had never been more afraid than the moment they were awakened by Matt's frantic screaming. Mello and Near, who had been slowly awakening from their drug-induced slumber, had peeled themselves off the ground and darted towards the elevator before their eyes had fully opened. Watari was already waiting for them when they arrived, his finger on the button that would take them to the lobby. Mello and Near stepped into the elevator without a word, and they were sped down to the lobby at top speed.

Then the elevator dinged, the doors slid open, and all hell broke loose.

In an instant Mello was kneeling beside Matt, who slipped to the ground after assuring himself that help had arrived. The blonde successor shook Matt furiously, demanding that he stay awake. Meanwhile, Near and Watari crouched beside L. He was completely unconscious and heavily injured. Without stopping to assess the extent of the damage, Watari scooped him up and motioned for Mello to do the same to Matt.

"Infirmary," the old inventor said shortly. They arrived in the infirmary in record time and laid the injured pair on beds across from each other. Watari ordered Mello to strip Matt of his tattered and bloodied clothing. As Mello worked Matt's shirt over his head, Near began doing the same to L. Watari headed over to the shelves full of medical supplies and began pulling out the necessary equipment.

"Matt's bleeding badly," Mello announced. "I need antiseptic and bandages, Watari."

The inventor handed Mello the requested materials and asked, "Are any of the cuts deep enough to require stitches?"

"The one on his forehead will definitely require stitching. Other than that, no." Mello choked back tears as he pressed a washcloth to one of Matt's still-bleeding gashes. He seemed deeply rattled by the situation, and unable to choke back his rising panic. "He needs help now, Watari, and I don't know how to stitch him up!"

"Does L require immediate attention?" Watari asked.

"Yes," Near responded, voice tight. "I don't know how much blood he's lost, but if his clothing is anything to go off of, then the answer is a lot. His shoulder appears to be dislocated and he has sustained a heavy blow to the head. He most likely has a severe concussion. In addition I believe several of his ribs are fractured or broken."

Watari moved to L's side, running his fingers across the back of his head and the swollen left side of his face. "How severe is the bleeding currently?" he asked grimly.

"It's slowed considerably. I can handle it if you give me a roll of bandages and antiseptic. None of his wounds are severe enough to require stitching."

Watari wordlessly passed the required materials to Near, who swiftly and efficiently stemmed the worst of the rivers of blood. While he worked, Watari pressed lightly on the back of L's head, frowning deeply.

Raising his head, he said to Near, "With a blow like this he definitely has a concussion. We won't know the severity until he wakes up."

"That means that we won't know if there's swelling in the brain until he wakes up either," Near protested. "If there is then he could die without being able to tell us what's wrong."

"Provide him with oxygen therapy," Watari instructed. He pointed to the shelves of medical equipment. "Use a respirator to make sure there's enough oxygen in the blood. I also want you to hook him up to an IV and give him medication to help keep his blood pressure from dropping. Do you know which ones to use?"

Near nodded and headed over to the shelves of equipment, grabbing what he needed. As he returned to L's side and began administering the treatment, Watari retrieved a vial of anesthetic, a needle, and surgical thread. He pulled a chair to Matt's side and began gently cleaning the gash on his forehead, working around Mello's frantic gesturing.

"Continue bandaging his wounds," Watari ordered. Mello nodded hurriedly. Watari dampened a washcloth with a splotch of antiseptic and dabbed at the gash, clearing away the blood and making sure there weren't any foreign particles caught in the wound. Once he was satisfied, he drew the contents of the vial of anesthetic into the barrel of a syringe and injected the substance just beside the wound. After giving the anesthetic time to sink in, Watari threaded the needle with silken surgical thread and began working to sew the large gash together.

As Watari worked, Near slipped a respiratory mask over L's mouth and nose and began treating him for his obvious and severe concussion. He grabbed L's limp arm and turned it over, carefully inserting the IV. He started the flow of fluids into L's bloodstream, hoping it would be enough to prevent and treat possible swelling in the brain.

Watari tied off the last stitch and snipped the thread, drawing back. "He shouldn't require a transfusion," he reported. "He'll be lightheaded when he wakes up, but other than that we should be able to leave him be once his wounds have been bandaged."

"The treatment is going smoothly for L," Near reported. "I'm concerned about his shoulder and ribs, though."

Watari left Mello to his bandaging and returned to L's side. He gently pushed on the joint. "It needs to be set back in place," he said. "Near, give him a general anesthetic. I'll handle his shoulder."

The white-haired successor nodded. He moved back to the cabinet, retrieving a syringe full of anesthetic, then moved to L and injected it into the affected area.

Watari placed one hand on L's upper chest and used the other to grip his shoulder. He paused for a moment, steeling himself. Then, with one sharp movement, he snapped the shoulder back into place. If L had been awake, he would have screamed. But as it was his face showed only mild discomfort, eased considerably by the anesthetic.

Near soundlessly began work on placing a sling around L's arm, making sure he couldn't move it around and thus dislocate his shoulder again.

Mello rose from his crouch over Matt, his face pale. "I've disinfected and bandaged all of Matt's wounds," he reported. "He'll be okay, right?"

Watari smiled reassuringly at him, though it was strained. "He should be fine. And if anything goes wrong, you'll be here to watch over him."

Mello nodded fervently. "What about L?"

"We won't know the extent of the damage until he wakes up, but his condition appears to be at least moderately stable for now."

Near broke in, "The only thing that can be done for fractured ribs is the administering of pain reducing drugs and lots of rest. We'll just have to watch and make sure they don't heal incorrectly. Other than that, we'll have to conduct a standard test to assess the extent of his concussion."

Watari nodded in agreement. "We've done all we can. Now we must wait for them to awaken."

†††

There were four days until the New Year.

When Matt opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the white-speckled ceiling looming above him.

The second thing he saw, after forcing his eyes to adjust to the blinding, fluorescent light, was a needle sticking out of the back of his hand. A needle that connected to a tiny tube, which connected to an IV bag, which connected to a metal hook…

The third thing he saw, and arguably the most important, was an exhausted-looking blonde male, hunched over and pressing his forehead into the side of Matt's bed. No, bed wasn't the right word—it was a cot. As Matt's mind cleared, he realized that he was in the infirmary. And that person sitting at his bedside was also clasping one of his hands, the one not taken up by an IV. Matt swallowed, and winced as he noticed just how dry his mouth was, and just how painfully rough his throat felt. He attempted to speak, but just ended up coughing as his voice caught in his throat.

Mello immediately jerked his head up, his fingers tightening painfully around Matt's. "You're awake!" he burst out. Then he seemed to realize that Matt was coughing, and he immediately reached out and passed him a bottle of water. It was a long moment before the younger successor was able to drink, but the instant the cool liquid found his throat, he was granted immediate relief.

"Thanks…" Matt rasped, rubbing absent-mindedly at his throat. He coughed a few more times, took another drink of water, and forced his breathing to even out. Slowly, as he laid there, his senses began to return to him, one by one—and unfortunately, one of said senses involved a heavy dose of pain.

He could tell that he'd been drugged with some sort of painkiller, but it clearly wasn't enough—his whole body ached, and he could feel with startling clarity each and every one of the slices running across his chest and stomach. For just a moment, he wondered when and where he'd obtained those cuts—but then his mind cleared further, and he remembered all that had happened. How long had it been? How long had be been asleep? And L…was he okay? Matt attempted to sit up, but was forced to stop halfway through as a terrible pain surged through his entire body. "Oh…" he groaned, raising a hand to his head. "I'm not feeling so well…"

"Easy," Mello urged, brushing his hands over Matt's shoulders. "You've only been out for about eight hours; you need to rest more." Mello continued his mindless brushing of fingertips to skin, and the younger successor realized that he couldn't feel the other male's touch very well—his whole upper body was wrapped in bandages, it seemed. "You'll be a little lightheaded for a while. We've got you on some pretty powerful pain medication as well; you're probably a bit out of it at the moment, am I right?"

Matt nodded shortly, and his whole world spun around him. "Morphine?" he asked blearily.

"No, we saved that for L."

"L!" Matt gasped, and this time when he lurched up there was no stopping him. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

Mello's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, as if he was debating the intelligence of telling his lover the answer. But a moment later he murmured, "He's in a bad way, Matt. Don't get me wrong, he'll live—but he hasn't woken up yet. He's got the whole nine yards: broken ribs, slashed torso, dislocated shoulder, severe concussion…we've got him on morphine. Don't think he'd be able to handle it if we didn't. There's only so much the human body can handle before it just…quits."

"But he's alive?" Matt demanded. "He's going to be okay?"

Mello gestured towards the other side of the infirmary. "Yeah, yeah. He's laid out over there. I wouldn't advise moving to see him just yet, though. He has it worse, but you're still cut up pretty badly."

Matt craned his neck, ignoring the pins and needles assaulting his entire body, and attempted to get a look at L. All he managed to catch was a glimpse of pale skin and obsidian hair before Mello pushed him back down, careful to avoid touching his chest. Matt turned his gaze on his lover, and realized with a start that there was no orange tint obscuring his vision—his goggles were gone. "My…my goggles?" he asked shakily.

Mello wordlessly reached to the bedside table and handed them over, murmuring, "I cleaned them up for you. You would barely have been able to see through all the…all the blood."

"Ah…" Matt trailed off nervously. "I see." He lowered his head, staring at his goggles. He didn't put them on; he just stared down at them bleakly. There was an elephant in the room, and neither Matt nor Mello were willing to address it just yet.

"So…" Mello started, running his fingers along the white sheets. "Do you think you can tell me what happened?"

Matt refused to meet his lover's gaze. "No."

Mello raised a brow. "Matt, I understand that you don't want to talk about…this, whatever it is, but I have a right to know. How terrified do you think I was when I saw you on the ground, covered in blood?"

Matt suppressed an amused snort. So, Mello was in one of his rare sentimental moods, then. He supposed that he understood—after all, it wasn't every day that you stepped out of an elevator and found your lover stretched out across a bloodstained floor. "I'm sorry."

"I know you're sorry, but I still need to know. I have a right to know. Look, Near isn't here at the moment—if you tell me, then he won't be listening in and commenting on everything that went down."

"He'll still have to know," Matt responded dully. "I'll have to tell the story again, and I'd rather not."

"I'll tell it for you. No, wait—we'll tell it together. Just…please, Matt. Tell me. Tell me before Near shows up. He's down in the investigation room now, and he doesn't know that you've woken up."

Matt dipped his head even further, refusing to look up even more so than before. He wasn't quite sure how the mess at the Teito Hotel had left him feeling…on one hand, he was thrilled to have L back, safe and sound…but on the other hand…Kira had done this. Kira had hurt L in this way, and set Beyond upon him like some sort of rabid dog. How could he do this? How could Light do this?

And that, Matt thought dismally, was the problem—he was unable to see Light as Kira. He still thought that Light was behind the mask, that his morals would stop him from hurting the one he loved so dearly. But…it wasn't Light. It just…wasn't. If only it hadn't taken this to make him see that. He'd been so convinced that he'd even gone against the other successors. He hadn't told them about L's plan. "Mello…" he said at last, his voice low and dark.

Mello frowned deeply, displaying a concerned look that Matt seldom had the opportunity to look upon. "Matt?" he asked softly.

"I betrayed you."

That clearly hadn't been what Mello was expecting; he reeled back as if he'd been struck, a stunned look on his face. "You…you what?"

"Betrayed you. I did."

"H…how?"

"I knew what was going to happen…I knew what L was planning. I had every opportunity to tell you, Mells, but I couldn't. No, that's not right—I didn't, that's all there is to it. I knew that L was going to confront Kira, I knew that this would happen, and I didn't do anything! And now look what's happened…L…he's hurt because of me."

Mello raised both hands, palms facing outwards calmingly. "Woah, woah! You're saying that L did this? He had a plan, and he knew where Kira was?"

Matt looked up at his lover, and was hardly able to meet those fierce, chocolate orbs. "Yes…" he whispered. "L knew where Kira was. I suspect that he knew, that he has known, ever since he spoke to Kira privately."

"But…what about the Yellow Box?" Mello demanded, sounding confused. "He said that Kira's master plan would be carried out there, on the New Year."

"He lied. He knew that if he gave you a time and a location, you wouldn't suspect that he was planning anything beforehand. He just said it to throw you off. And then he found a way to get his hands on a few doses of sedative, and he put it into our food. Except, I didn't drink the tea he gave me, and so I only got half a dose, and I woke up early. I tried so hard to wake you, Mells, but you wouldn't move! I couldn't do anything but follow, and hope I got to him in time! And now…look what I've done."

Mello's gaze hardened immediately, and Matt felt his stomach twist painfully. This was it…there would be no coming back from this. Mello would hate him for lying. He couldn't forgive him for getting L hurt so badly.

"You…" Mello ground out, eyes gleaming furiously. "You think this is your fault?"

"I got him hurt," Matt responded in a low hiss. "It's all my fault…if only I could go back, I'd stop him before this happened…"

Mello's eyes narrowed dangerously, and the fury gleaming within increased exponentially. His whole body tensed, hands gripping onto the edge of Matt's bed, and for a moment he just stood there, glaring a hole in the sheets. Then, a frightening screech escaping him, he lurched to his feet and whirled around, sweeping an arm out and knocking everything off the bedside table. Pill bottles, a lamp, notebooks, pens, pencils, and a water bottle all went tumbling to the ground, clattering loudly. "You idiot!" he roared, and Matt could do nothing but cower back in terror.

"I…I'm sorry…" he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Mells—"

"God, Matt, you're such a moron…" Mello hissed through clenched teeth. "This is not your fault! Don't you dare try to apologize for what that bastard did to you!"

Matt opened his mouth to respond, but then he paused—he hadn't made any mention of Beyond yet, and he hadn't said anything to the effect of Kira being the one to hurt him…so the only one Mello could be talking about was—

"L, that bastard!" Mello snarled, tangling his fingers in his hair and tugging furiously. "How selfish is he? Does he think he can just drag you into this, get you hurt, and just go on like everything's fine? You had to get hurt because of his damn plan! You had to pull him out of that hellish situation! You had to protect him, when he promised it would always be the other way around!"

A flash of understanding passed through Matt. And a moment later, a flash of horror followed. "You…you blame L," he realized in a hushed tone. "You're mad at him."

"Hell yeah, I'm furious with that little prick!" Mello yelled. "He's been such an idiot lately, Matt…and now this happens? He's lost it! I've tried with all my mental capacity to pretend that I want to rescue Light, all for him. I've beat myself up over making sure he's happy, over making sure that he doesn't turn suicidal, and now he goes and pulls shit like this…it's not okay! He'll have to answer for what he's done this time, I swear it!"

"Mello, no!" Matt gasped. "Please, let me tell the whole story…then you'll understand!"

A low growl echoed in the blonde successor's throat, but he said nothing more. He just seated himself on Matt's bed and crossed his legs at the ankles, glaring a hole in the ground. He gave a short nod.

"Thank you," Matt whispered, relieved. "Like I said, L sedated all of us, but I only got half a dose. When I woke up, I went after him. Eventually I found myself at the Teito Hotel, and I realized that something was…off. When I went in, Beyond attacked me, and—" Here, Matt had to pause, raising a placating hand as Mello's eyes widened, a demented sort of fury building within them. "Mells, please, calm down!"

"That…that monster touched you?" he breathed. "He's the one who did this?"

"Yes, he fought me, but I'm okay now, I swear!"

"Damn it, Matt, all those cuts are going to scar, you know! How can you be so nonchalant about this?"

On the inside, Matt wasn't nonchalant at all—quite the opposite. His lungs were tight, his stomach was twisted painfully, and his head felt light and fuzzy…but he couldn't act upset. If he acted upset, then Mello would fly off the handle, and it would all be over. There'd be no stopping him. "It's not important right now, Mello," he responded instead. "Please, let me finish." Upon a nod from his lover, he continued. "After a while, Beyond told me where to go to find L. I headed up, and when I did, Kira was waiting. He made some speech about justice, and gave me an index card—the index card!" Matt's fingers immediately shot to his chest, only to find himself devoid of his vest. "Mello, my vest—where is it?"

Frowning, the blonde successor reached behind him and plucked the bloodstained garment from the floor. It was slashed and painted red, but the pocket appeared untouched. Matt took the vest immediately, shoving his fingers into the folds, searching until he felt the coarse surface of the card Kira had give him. He withdrew it immediately, letting out a triumphant little cry.

"What is that?" Mello asked suspiciously.

"Kira gave me this just before he left. I didn't get the chance to read it, but…" he trailed off, flipping the card over, laying the side with the black printout against his leg. He stared down at the card, stared down at those bloodstains and tiny red letters, written in what Matt realized now was not red ink, but blood. And what he read there…what he saw, staring up at him accusingly… "No way," he whispered. "This…this can't be right."

"What is it?" Mello asked impatiently, making a grab for the card. He easily yanked it away from his lover, and his eyes dipped to the scarlet font. A moment later he was staring up at Matt through wide eyes. "Is this for real?"

"I…I think it is. Kira told me that it was important, that I'd want it." Matt eyed the back of the card from between Mello's fingers. He could hardly believe what he was seeing there, written in that grisly ink.

New Year's Eve, 11:00, the burial site of the notebook.

Matt knew those words, knew what they meant. He remembered Light saying something, a long time ago, about how he'd buried his original Death Note beneath the ground in a forest. The burial site of the Death Note…that had to be it. That forest, that temporary resting place for the world's least known and most deadly murder weapon, was where Kira intended to carry out his final plan. He was giving up his location—at least, his future location—and that was all the successors really needed. With this information, Kira could be stopped.

Matt whispered, "Using this, we can put an end to this disaster."

"We can," Mello agreed, looking both suspicious and stunned the same time. "Why would he just…give this to you? Why would he tip his own hand?"

"I don't know," Matt responded. "He's said from the very beginning that this was a game…maybe he thinks he can't win unless we're all in the same place to watch him win. But I don't think that matters at the moment, do you? If this is accurate, it means that there are only four days until we have to meet Light for the final confrontation! We'll find him, and when we do, we can take him down! Light won't know what hit him!

Mello's head snapped up. "You mean Kira."

"Oh…yes, I suppose I do." He hoped Mello wouldn't read too far into the verbal lapse, but it was no use—his expression was already twisting sourly, the excitement of learning Kira's location swiftly vanishing beneath a layer of bitter realization.

"I think I understand. This is why you didn't tell us what L was planning, isn't it?" he asked shortly. "You can't see Light as Kira, can you? Even after that bastard held a gun to your head, you can't tell the difference between the teenager and the murderer. You thought that if you told us, we'd follow L and kill Kira."

"Well—no, I just—"

"You were right."

He'd suspected as much. Forcing his expression to remain neutral, Matt responded, "I'm sorry, Mello, but I can't stomach the thought of killing him. I…I lied to you. I lied when I said I was okay with killing Light."

"Kira," Mello corrected in a low snarl. The index card fluttered to the ground, forgotten. "Matt, it's time for you to open your eyes. Look around you; do you see what that monster has done? Thousands upon thousands of people are dead, and most of them are innocents! He's tried to kill you, and he did that to L!" He jabbed a finger in L's direction, but Matt still couldn't see, and Mello wasn't letting him up anytime soon. "This has gone beyond any notion of justice. This is evil, and Kira knows it. You know it. You just don't want to see it."

Matt remembered, a bitter feeling swelling within him, what Kira had said.

I am a monstrous sort of justice.

"I can't see it," Matt insisted, though it was difficult to ignore the pain, both mental and physical, caused by Kira's reign. "I can't see it, Mells."

The successor's eyes narrowed. And then, suddenly, he was scooping his arms beneath Matt's form and lifting him up, dragging him across the room.

"Hey!" Matt gasped. "Mello, what are you—?"

"Look at your justice, Matt," Mello sneered, setting him on one of the beds. Even in anger, he wouldn't dare to hurt Matt further—though in his rush, the IV had been yanked out of his hand. "Look at what Kira would have you believe in!"

Matt slowly turned his gaze towards Mello's line of vision. He frowned as his eyes met a small lump in the sheets. He followed that lump up, and realized suddenly that it wasn't small, it was just part of a much larger lump that kept going up, and up, and up…and then, with a jolt, Matt realized that this was L's cot, that the lump beneath the sheets was L. He could only see his face, but that was enough—it was bruised and crusted with blood, the skin split clean open by what could only have been Kira's hand. One eye was swollen nearly shut, and the slashing and bruising across his face almost looked like some sort of sadistic painting. There were dark purple marks around the detective's throat, and even more of said marks disappeared beneath the sheets.

"Do you see?" Mello growled.

Matt shook his head as if in a daze. "I…I can't…"

Baring his teeth, Mello took a handful of the sheets in one hand and yanked it back.

Oh.

Matt felt as if he would throw up.

L's torso…his stomach…it was just as bad as his, if not worse. But it was clear that those bloody marks had not been made with a knife—rather, the skin had split from some terrible, blunt force…the same blunt force that had no doubt broken L's ribs so terribly.

"Kira did this?" Matt rasped, though he already knew the answer. He'd carried L back from the hotel, but hadn't realized the extent of his injuries until this moment.

"And more," Mello responded in a low tone. "His shoulder was dislocated, and he had a severe concussion. Do you see? Do you see why you can't support Light any longer? He's gone, Matt. I'm sorry, but…he's gone."

The brunette looked away from his lover, choking back tears. He loved L. He loved him like an older brother, and he'd come to care for Light on a similar level. "I can't just kill him," he rasped, summarizing all the flowing emotions that so tormented him.

"You don't have to be the one to kill him," Mello said immediately. "Just don't help him. Don't help L."

"If I hadn't helped him, he would have died."

Mello was silent. He jerked his head away, staring up at the ceiling, and sighed deeply. "You didn't really have a choice in that situation. But if you'd told us what was happening earlier, if you hadn't betrayed us, then this would never have happened. Do you understand that, Matt? Do you understand how badly you've betrayed us?"

"…Yes. I do."

"Then promise me, Matt. Promise me that if L gets any more funny ideas, you'll tell us immediately. Promise me that while you may disapprove of our methods, you'll still see this through to the end. Promise that you won't betray us again. Promise that you won't betray me again."

The bastard was manipulating him. Matt knew that Mello was using his emotions against him, and he didn't care, because he deserved it. It was true; he'd betrayed his own lover by not telling him what was happening, and now he would have to pay the price. "I…" he trailed off. Look at what Kira has done to L, he thought miserably. If Light was still in there…if there was a chance that he was coming back…would he really have allowed Kira to do this? I know that if I were in his shoes, I would give my life to stop myself from hurting Mello. I'd throw everything I had at my possessor, and I wouldn't stop until one of us was dead. And perhaps…perhaps that has already happened. Perhaps Light is already dead, having exhausted his energy some time ago. And even if he's still in there, even if he's still buried beneath the madness…he should have been able to save L from being hurt. If he couldn't overcome Kira then, when he was hurting L, then there's no hope that he'll be able to overthrow him now. Not now, not ever. So maybe…just maybe…this is the right choice to make. Maybe it's time for me to stop being childish and accept the truth.

"Matt," Mello urged.

The successor nodded shortly. "Yes," he whispered, in a tone so low that it was barely audible. "I promise you, Mello. I promise you all of those things and more."

The blonde's gaze softened considerably. "And will you promise me, Matt, above all else, that when the time comes…you will let us do what needs to be done?"

"I won't kill him," Matt repeated.

"You don't have to kill him. But when the time comes, you cannot stand in the way. Will you promise me that, Matt?"

There was a long period of silence. But that long period didn't last as long as it should have, for Matt was soon breaking it with two whispered words. "I promise."

"Good." Mello moved his lover back to the bed without a second thought, placing him back onto the sheets as someone would a porcelain doll. "Now, Matt, you should rest."

Matt nodded numbly, but didn't allow himself to fall back against the pillows. Instead, he sat, chest and stomach burning, and fought back tears. "Mello…" he choked out. "I'm…" He was unable to get the other word out for a long moment, for the instant he opened his mouth, Mello's arms wrapped around him and pulled him impossibly close.

"Hush," the other successor murmured. "You don't have to say it again. I know."

"No, I have to!" Matt rasped. "God, Mello, I'm—I'm so sorry…"

"I know," Mello whispered, tangling a hand in his lover's hair. "It's going to be okay now, Matt. I swear to you, this will all end soon, and you'll never have to worry about that monster again."

Matt choked out a laugh, but it was so distorted that he was certain that Mello couldn't tell what it was supposed to be. Monster…he repeated. But tell me, Mello, which monster are you referring to? Kira? Beyond? L? He laughed again, but Mello took it as sob, and crushed him closer.

His chest hurt, Matt thought—it burned with every move Mello made against him—but he didn't care. He couldn't care, not now. And so he sat there, arms locked around the body of the one he loved, and buried his head in his shoulder.

When the tears began flowing, neither said a word.

†††

Waking up was terrible.

L tossed and turned uncomfortably, struggling to find a position that was even somewhat tolerable for his aching body. He made to turn onto his side, but someone was suddenly by his side, their hands firmly holding him on his back.

"No," he heard them say. "You can't turn on that side."

L groaned and pulled away weakly. He slowly became aware of a throbbing in his head. Then a throbbing in his ribs. Then in his head. Oh… his head. He groaned painfully the dull ache became sharper and sharper, and L wondered briefly if this was anything like what Light had felt during his fight against Kira.

Then he felt the sensation of something entering his bloodstream, and the pain eased slightly. The darkness was pulling at him again, welcoming him into its arms. L had the fleeting thought that he should wake up, tell the person watching over him that he was okay. But no sooner had he processed the thought than it slipped away, and he faded back into darkness.

†††

The next time L woke up, he stayed awake. His eyes fluttered open blearily, flickering closed for a heartbeat in response to the bright light overhead. After a few harsh blinks the white spots in his vision faded, and he was met with the sight of a large room with a white ceiling and walls. The infirmary. L slowly wiggled his fingers and toes, testing to make sure he could still move them. When they responded well, he moved to an assessment of his legs, then torso, and—oh. That hurt! L hissed as he felt a dull burn in his ribs. His arms were the next extremities that he checked, and he was displeased to feel a deep ache emitting from his left shoulder. He tried to move it, and found that though it was painful, it wasn't impossible. So then, his shoulder was no longer dislocated. He moved his investigation to his head, where he felt the greatest pain. It was no longer unbearable, but it still panged and tingled with muted pain when he attempted to think above a whisper. He propped himself up on his right elbow and pushed himself up to lean against the headboard.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, sleeping beauty!"

L looked up slowly. His eyes fell upon Mello, sitting by the bed across from him. Matt was sitting up in said bed, his eyes resting brightly on L. The detective frowned. Something was different about Mello. He seemed…angry. But that anger was so cleanly hidden, it was impossible to pinpoint—and he didn't seem eager to display it. Who was he angry with then? Was it Kira? Beyond? No, no, I can't dwell on that now—there are more pressing matters at hand. L focused on Matt, who was lying on the cot across from his. "Are you alright?" he asked seriously.

"I'm fine," came the response. "I've been up for a few hours now, but Watari doesn't want me out of bed yet. I'm more worried about you."

L flinched as a particularly painful jolt made itself known in his head. "My head hurts," he reported.

"That's a good thing," Matt responded. "It means you're not dead yet."

L found himself unable to laugh. "I presume I have a concussion, yes?"

"Yeah, and it's pretty bad," said Matt. "I'm a bit surprised you're even awake right now, let alone speaking so well. We had you on morphine, and between that and the concussion, we expected you to be out for a few days."

"We gave you oxygen therapy and medication to keep your blood pressure from dropping," Mello explained. "That took care of possible brain swelling, and helped out with some of the effects of the concussion. Other than that you have a few cracked ribs, and you'll have to lay off on using that arm for a while." He made a gesture towards the left side of L's body.

"I figured as much." L's eyes raked down Matt's form. He was shirtless, and his torso was covered in bandages. There was a large cotton square pressed against his forehead, and his goggles, though clean and clearly undamaged, were resting on his lap rather than on his face. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"Beyond Birthday," Matt said. "He was waiting for me in the lobby. He beat me up pretty good, but in the end he let me get you out of there before you died."

L frowned as he struggled to process the information. His brain was running slowly, and he found himself unable to articulate his confusion for several moments. "How did you know where to find me?" he asked after a long pause.

Matt shrugged. "It was complete luck. I'm sure you know that you only hit me with half a dose of that sedative. I woke up early, and after that I left the building, picked a direction, and Beyond was waiting for me in the hotel once I got there." He jerked a thumb in Mello's direction. "I already filled him in on what happened, and we just told Near about an hour ago. He's down with the task force now, but he should be called in shortly."

There was another pause as L struggled to remember. There was something he was missing, something important… what was it? His mind reached for the hidden answer.

"Oh, and there's another thing," Matt went on softly. He reached into his vest, which was slung across a nearby chair, and retrieved a bloodstained index card from the pocket. He held it up. "Kira gave me this just before he left."

L winced. He strongly suspected that he knew what was written on that index card.

And sure enough, Matt's next words were just as damning as L feared.

"Kira said that at 11:00 on New Year's Eve he would be at the place where he buried the Death Note."

There it was. The successors knew the truth—or rather, part of the truth. They did not, after all, know what Kira's ultimate goal was. They didn't know that he wanted to become a shinigami. And they didn't know about the bullet.

"The bullet!" L burst out, eyes widening. He struggled to sit up, but his entire body screamed in protest, forcing him to fall back against the pillows with a pained whimper. "Matt…" he gasped out, wincing as flickers of pain laced up and down his spine. "There was a gun, a gun on the bedside table! Please tell me you still have it!"

Frowning deeply, Matt said, "Yeah, Kira told me to take it with me. And there was just something about the way he said it, something about the way he was staring at the thing…I had a feeling that it was important. Was I correct? Is it important?"

"I need to see it!" L insisted. "Give it to me!"

Mello raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Woah, woah! You're not allowed to have a gun, remember? Especially not when you're concussed!"

Matt's eyes locked onto L, the gears of his mind turning endlessly. Finally he leaned over and retrieved his cell phone from the bedside table. He flipped it open and dialed a number. A moment later he was saying, "Watari, could you get that gun I gave you and bring it up here? Have Near come as well. Yes, thank you. Goodbye." He hung up.

"Thank you," L sighed, slightly relieved. He had to know. He had to know if he still had the all-important bullet. If he didn't…well, he didn't want to think about what would happen. Kira had assured him that until he used the thing, the Shinigami King would return it to him no matter what happened. But L wasn't so sure—the bastard hadn't exactly been kind to him as of late.

The doors of the infirmary opened, and Watari and Near entered. Watari was holding the gun gingerly in one hand.

"Let me see that!" L insisted.

Watari moved to his side after shooting a weary glance at Matt and Mello. "The gun is nonfunctional, as I'm sure you know, so don't go trying to use it." He handed the gun to L.

Immediately the detective popped open the clip and peered inside desperately. And then, there it was—the bullet, resting in one of the slots safely, just where Kira had left it. He felt relief wash through him as he turned the clip on its side and shook the bullet into the palm of his hand. "Thank god," he sighed. He was aware of the various pairs of eyes watching him curiously. He looked up at them, a small smile on his face. This was good…so long as he had this bullet, so long as he had a way to save the one he loved, he could handle everything else.

But you've been backed into a corner, a voice whispered in the back of his mind. You had your chance, and you failed. Now, the task force and the successors no doubt know where Kira will be on the New Year, and you have no way of getting to him beforehand. You know full well that if everyone goes to confront Kira in that forest on the New Year, he'll be killed—or if not that, then everyone else will die, including you, and Kira will become the god of the new world. You have no way of getting to him ahead of time, seeing as he has left the Teito Hotel. You have no way of confronting Kira alone and using the bullet on him. That means that you'll be forced to go with everyone else on the New Year to confront him—but if that happens, then everyone else will be shooting at him in an attempt to end his life. You most likely won't be the one to hit Kira first—and even if you are, the successors will kill him long before they realize what's happened. They won't give him the benefit of the doubt; they'll end his life without question. That means that you have limited options. You could tell the successors that you want to be the one to kill Kira, and no one else. That way, they'd let you be the one to fire upon him, and you could use the King's gift without fear. No one else would be trying to kill him. But that in and of itself poses a problem—the successors will never believe that you want to be the one to kill Kira. There's no explanation you could give them that would fully convince them of your willingness to end the life of the one you love. You've already painted yourself as the loving, half-crazed boyfriend, willing to do anything to get your lover back. And as is such, there's no way the successors will believe that you've just suddenly decided to kill Kira. They'll be suspicious, and they'll refuse you. More likely, they'll suspect that you're planning something and take the necessary precautions. You won't have the chance to use the bullet, and it will all be over. But on the other hand, if you just outright tell them about the Shinigami King and the bullet, they'll most likely believe that you've lost your mind. The successors are creatures of thought and logic; if you just start spouting crap about a mysterious bullet, they're not going to believe you. They'll lock you in the loony bin and go confront Kira without you.

L huffed, twisting his fingers into the sheets. He was aware of the successors and Watari watching him, clearly concerned, but he couldn't bring himself to care. What am I supposed to do, then? He demanded of himself.

And that little voice whispered back, you choose the lesser of two evils. On one hand, you tell the successors you want to kill Kira, and they don't believe you, choosing instead to end his life without your input. On the other hand, you tell them the truth, and they'll most likely believe that you've snapped—but there's always the possibility that you can make them understand. And if they do understand, then they'll help you kill Kira and save Light. So which one gives you the most leeway? Which one gives you the greater chance of success?

L knew the answer. He knew it, and he didn't like it, but…he had no choice. He'd backed himself into the metaphorical corner, and now he was paying the price. That little voice was right—he was right—if he wanted any chance at all of saving the one he loved, then he was going to have to lend himself to insanity for a while.

"I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you," L began slowly, holding the bullet up for them to observe. Without another word he pried open his amulet and slipped it into the compartment beside the folded page of the Death Note.

"Just what do you mean by that?" Near asked calculatingly, twirling a lock of white hair between his fingers.

"I will explain, but you have to promise me first to save all your questions until the end of the tale." He looked around at the successors and Watari. "Understood?"

There was a short, awkward silence, but after a moment all in attendance nodded their confirmation.

L offered a reassuring smile. "I will start from the beginning," he began, keeping his eyes trained on the sheets. He didn't want to look at the successors, not yet—he didn't want to see their expressions of confusion, of disappointment. "You see, I knew that you three were plotting to kill Kira on sight, and I couldn't allow that to happen. So many weeks ago I devised a plan of my own, and that plan involved sneaking out after you all went to sleep to meet Misa Amane. You see, back when Light was still with me he told me of the shinigami Rem and her attachment to one Misa Amane. So I went to see Miss Amane in hopes that Rem would be watching over her. Luckily, she was. I knocked Misa out and had a conversation with Rem. She told me that in order to separate Light and Kira I would have to speak with the Shinigami King, and to do that he would have to be the one to invite me to the shinigami realm. Shortly after that conversation the Shinigami King did indeed invite me to speak with him. While in the shinigami realm he told me that he had a method of separating Light from Kira without killing the former.

"He gave me a bullet, the bullet that I just slipped into the amulet you saw. He told me that if I could corner Kira and shoot him in the head with that bullet, it would remove Light's memories, thus expelling Kira." Seeing Near about to say something, L held up a hand. "I'm not done yet. While I was in the shinigami realm, the King told me what Kira's plan is. He plans to carry out a ritual on the night of the New Year. And the ritual that he will perform will turn him into a shinigami. He will become a god. And should this be allowed to happen, Light will permanently be vanquished, and the bullet will no longer have any affect, for it is impossible for a shinigami to erase another shinigami's memories. But if we can get to him beforehand, if you help me on the night of the New Year, then we can save Light. We can shoot him in the head with the bullet, and his memories will vanish." He looked up at his successors. "That is all."

There was a terribly long pause as Watari and the successors stared at L with blank expressions. Then Watari said, slowly, "L, you have a concussion. You aren't thinking clearly."

"What?" L gasped, his tone indignant. He'd known that his story would sound insane, but he'd hoped for at least some level of understanding, some level of trust.

"Yeah," Mello agreed, and some of that mysterious anger from earlier was back, shadowing his gaze. "I know you're torn up about losing Light, but you don't have to make things up. Quite frankly, it's an insult to everything we've done so far."

"But it's true!" L protested. "He's going to become a shinigami! The only thing that can help him is the bullet!"

"Look, L," Near said sharply. "We've been very patient with you throughout this whole fiasco. We've made it our first priority to make you feel like things will turn out okay. Even though we know it's impossible, we've humored you with fantasies of Light returning to you unharmed. But this is where I, at least, draw the line." The boy's gray eyes were chips of ice. "I will grant you that shinigami exist, and that the shinigami realm and the Shinigami King are things that could quite conceivably exist, but there is no such thing as a bullet that can kill Kira without killing Light. It's not possible. Even if such a bullet did exist, there is no way whoever was shot with it would survive."

"It doesn't pierce the skull!" L protested weakly. "It just has to touch him, that's all…"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Near snarled. L flinched back, having never seen the successor show such emotion. "The force required to enter the brain would kill whoever was shot! There is no way that Light would survive. Face it, L. It's over! Your boyfriend is gone, and your delusions won't change that!"

A heavy silence settled over the room.

"Near…" Matt whispered.

"Be quiet!" the first ranked successor spat, turning on the younger. "Don't you get it? There's no reason to keep up this little farce any longer! You heard him yourself, Matt, he knows that we're planning to kill Kira!" Snapping his head back around to L, Near bit out, "This has gone on for too long, L! I've sat back along with the other successors and let this whole disaster run its course. I've let you run yourself in circles with your pointless attempts to save someone who I know can't be saved. I thought that once Light was gone, once Kira was dead, you'd be able to return to the way you once were, but I see now that I've been foolish. Perhaps if I'd just acted sooner, if I'd urged the other successors towards another course of action, this could have been avoided. But I see now that you've been damaged beyond repair. Quite honestly, I'm not even sure that you'll ever be able to return to the way you once were, and it's all because of him."

"Near—!" L attempted.

"No, L! Just stop. I know you don't want to hear it, and you've been trying as hard as you can to deny it for all these months, but it's too late! Light was consumed by Kira long, long ago, and it's no longer possible for him to return. It was never possible for him to return. And now, whether you like it or not, we're going to have to do something to end this madness. It's gone on for too long, and we've allowed you to run yourself into insanity. I am sorry that it has come to this, L, but it is too late to change the course of fate. On the New Year we will kill Kira, and you will see that you have been foolish. When he dies, and Light fails to reappear, you will understand that this—all of this—was just a pointless endeavor, and that you never really had a chance in the first place!"

That awful, all-encompassing silence fell over the room like a storm cloud, and for a long moment no words were exchanged. Near's chest was heaving with the effort of expending several months' worth of repressed anger all at once.

And then, finally, after what felt like forever, Near spoke again.

"I'll be in the investigation room," the white-haired boy whispered. His voice wavered dangerously. "Feel free to follow me whenever you like." With that, he strode straight through the double doors and stormed off down the hallway.

Watari turned to follow. "I will make sure he doesn't do anything rash," he said in explanation. Matt, Mello… please deal with this situation accordingly."

"Watari…" L whispered, horrified that even his oldest friend and guardian seemed to be giving up on him.

"I am sorry," the inventor sighed. "But this has gone on long enough. I told you long ago that should you cease to function properly, I would relieve you of your duties as L. And as unfortunate as it may be, it appears that the time has come."

Nothing could describe the liquid ice running through L's veins, nothing could compare to the feeling of disbelief and horror. "Watari?" he asked, voice shaking.

But the inventor didn't turn back, and a moment later he was gone, leaving L staring past the empty doorway.

"I'm not making this up," L whispered, though the enthusiasm had left his voice. "I swear I'm not… I spoke to the King, and he gave me this bullet!"

"Oh, L," Matt choked, his eyes shimmering. "I'm sorry…"

And at the same time, eyes blazing with anger, Mello snarled, "Get a grip!"

L jumped, locking eyes with the blonde successor. And there was that anger, that brutal emotion that had been building up in Mello's heart throughout the whole conversation with Near, and possibly for many weeks beforehand.

"Mello!" Matt chastised, his voice firm. "We've already discussed—!"

"This…this lunatic hurt you!" Mello ground out, his whole body shaking. "And now he has the nerve to stand here, spouting bullshit about some goddamn magic bullet? A fucking magic bullet, Matt!"

"Mells, please, just calm down!" Matt begged. "He's just shaken up; he's concussed! I'm sure once he comes around he'll realize that what he's saying is—"

Mello cut him off again. "He's not going to come around! If he was going to snap back to his senses, he would have done it before you had to drag his sorry ass back to headquarters and collapse in the lobby!"

"You were the one who carried me back here?" L realized. "You collapsed?"

The words only seemed to anger Mello further. He snarled, teeth bared, and lurched to L's side, curling his fingers into the other male's collar. "That's right, you bastard, he collapsed on the floor of the lobby, bleeding like he'd just been through hell! And whose fault do you think it was? Who put him there?"

For a moment, L's voice refused to function. But a heartbeat later he managed to rasp, "I can fix it."

"You can fix it? You can fix it? Just what the hell is there for you to fix, L?"

"I'll kill Kira!" L burst out. "The New Year is almost three days away, correct? When the confrontation with Kira happens, I'll have to shoot him before he has the chance to become a shinigami. After that, he'll die, Light will live, and everything will be fixed! If I can just shoot him, then I can fix the hell I've created!"

Mello's breath smelled distinctly of chocolate as he leaned in close, lips barely a centimeter away from L's flesh. "That's how you think you're going to fix this disaster? That's what you think you're going to do?"

"Yes! Just let me shoot him, and—"

Mello cut him off. "You're not going to be shooting anyone."

L's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"You heard me, you cold bastard. You're not going to be shooting anyone."

"I know you don't want me to handle a gun, but—!"

"No," Mello sneered. "You don't understand. You're not going to be able to shoot anyone because you're not going with us."

L's eyes snapped up to meet Mello's, a flash of horror running through him. "What the hell do you mean I'm not going with you?" He looked to Matt, who was staring at him with a twisted, pitying expression. "What does he mean, Matt?"

The third ranked successor lowered his head mournfully, murmuring, "I'm sorry, L, but—"

"We've already spoken to Near," Mello spat. "He's agreed that you're in no state to confront Kira—and that was before we heard your little story about a magical bullet and the shinigami who gave it to you."

"But—!"

"Look at yourself!" Mello interrupted. You're lying in the infirmary with several broken ribs, a concussion, and a shoulder that you're not going to be able to move for a week. And on top of all that, you've gone completely insane! You got Matt hurt, L, and if we let you come with us, there's no telling who you'll hurt this time. You could kill someone, and you wouldn't care because you'd be so determined to save your precious little boyfriend!"

"But what about Light?" L protested, unable to hide just how badly his hands were shaking—how badly his whole body was shaking. "He'll die without that bullet!"

"I don't think you understand," Mello breathed, his voice low and dangerous. "He's going to die either way, regardless of whether or not you and your pathetic lies are there. And so you're not coming. End of story.

"Please, Mello, I have to be there!" L whimpered. "I can't let him die alone!"

Mello's eyes narrowed to slits. "There's no way around it. When we leave to confront Kira you will be bound and locked here so you cannot escape to follow us."

L opened his mouth, fully ready to argue, but no words came.

Mello went on, seemingly unaware of the detective's distress. "We plan to tell the task force that our plan of burning the notebook to get rid of Kira was a lie. Once we do that, and once they see what that monster did to you and Matt, even Soichiro should be convinced that his son is gone. And after that, they'll be more than willing to help us kill Kira—and if they're not, then we'll just have to lock them away with you until this mess is over."

"No…" L whispered, barely able to comprehend the truth of what his successor was telling him. "Please, Mello—you can't do this!"

"I can and I have," the successor responded in a snarl. "And I don't regret a thing, you miserable excuse for a detective! You're supposed to be L! You're supposed to put emotions aside for the sake of the case, and yet here you are—!"

"Mello!" Matt interrupted. "Stop this!"

The older successor didn't even pause. "—risking everything, risking our entire investigation just to save one boy! It shouldn't matter to you if that boy is someone you care about, because you're L!" He leaned in even closer. "Oh wait…" he growled. "I forgot…"

"Mello!" Matt tried again, only to receive the same response as before.

"You're not L any longer, are you? Not in title, at least. You've gone so far off the deep end that not even Watari trusts you anymore, and he shouldn't! You're nothing more than a—"

"Mello!" Matt screamed, shocking his lover into silence.

Mello turned his head, eyes wide and surprised. "Matt?" he whispered, seeming to realize that he'd overdone it. He turned his gaze back on L, and when he saw the shaking, trembling mess that had once been the world's greatest detective, he immediately released him. "Oh god, L…" he rasped.

L pushed him away with what little strength he had left. His whole body was shaking violently, and nothing he did was stopping it.

"I'm sorry," Mello continued, expression twisted into one of conflicted guilt. "I was just angry, I didn't realize—!"

L shook his head faintly, unable to find the words to respond to Mello's harsh treatment. He clenched his fingers around the sheets, ignoring the faint pain lacing up his spine, and pleaded silently with the successor to leave him alone. He didn't want to hear it, he couldn't hear it—he didn't want to know what he'd done to Light, and what was going to happen next.

"L?" Mello asked, voice shaking guiltily.

L shook his head again, and he couldn't respond, couldn't speak to him, couldn't face him—and then Matt was moving, and somehow, someway, he was yanking Mello back and shoving him away.

The next thing L heard was Matt's voice, snarling, "Leave this place immediately!" The next thing he saw was Mello's stunned look, and the way he recoiled as if he'd been struck.

"What?" he demanded softly. "You want—?"

"I want you to leave."

"But Matt—!"

"No. You're just making things worse."

There was a long, painful pause. But then Mello huffed, ran a hand through his hair, and stormed out of the room without another word.

The instant he was gone, L found the will to speak. "Matt…" he whispered. "You don't want to hurt Light, do you? You know him, you're friends with him…you understand. So why won't you help me? You've done it once before; can you do it again? Can you help me get to him and shoot him before it's too late?"

"Oh, L…" Matt whispered.

Those two words said it all. He'd made a gamble by telling his successors and Watari the truth, and now, it seemed that that gamble was lashing out and grabbing him by the throat. He'd lost Watari's trust, he'd lost Near's trust, he'd lost Mello's trust…had he lost Matt's as well?

"I don't want him to die," Matt went on softly. "You know that I came to regard Light as a friend. But now…look at what he's done to you. I think…I think that Mello and Near are right. I think that it's too late. I'm sorry, L, I truly, am."

"Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that…that you're prepared to kill Light?" L rasped.

Matt shook his head. "No," he said. "No, I can't. Because I'm not prepared. But just because I'm not prepared doesn't mean that it doesn't have to happen. Think about it, L—Light loves you. He loves you more than anyone else. Don't you think that if he were still in there, he would have stopped Kira from harming you? I think that if there was even a slight possibility of him returning, it would have happened then and there."

"You would give up so easily?"

"L…" Matt reached out a hand, and though he was situated on another bed entirely, L could almost feel the phantom touch running along his shoulder. "It has not been easy, for any of us. All of us—you especially—have fought since the beginning to fix everything. But it just…it just hasn't worked. It's been months, L, nearly four months, since this all began. And now there's a viable end in sight, and…I, for one, intend to take it. The successors intend to take it as well."

"You can't," L whispered. "You can't kill him."

"I'm sorry," came the response. "But you must have known it would lead to this. Right from the beginning, Light begged you to kill him. Even he knew, it seems, that this is where the road would end."

L shook his head. "No."

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm so sorry, L…but it has already been decided."

And wasn't that just the bitter truth? After all this work, all this effort expended fighting a seemingly hopeless battle, it was all about to come to an end.

The cogs and gears of fate were already in motion—and L had no way to tell just where they would take him.

†††

"Near, slow down!" Watari ordered, walking briskly to catch up with the teen.

"I can't do that," Near responded, his footsteps quickening as he headed for the investigation room. By now most of the task force should be working, seeing as it was nearly two in the afternoon. "Matt, Mello and myself have already agreed on a course of action, and I intend to carry it out."

"You're going to convince the task force to kill Kira, aren't you?" Watari questioned as he drew up beside Near.

"Yes."

"At least attempt to compose yourself before you face them!" Watari commanded. "If you go in there looking like a mess, they're not going to take you seriously!"

Near had reached the door to the investigation room now. He stopped, hand on the handle, and turned his head to regard the inventor standing beside him. He drew in several deep breaths, returning his flushed skin to its normal pale state. "I am sorry," he said. "I know that I have allowed my emotions to take over, but I find myself unable to stay calm. You saw him, Watari. L has cracked, both physically and mentally. Until Light is dead he will not be able to begin the recovery process—and even then, I have my doubts that said process will ever be completed. So I intend to end this as soon as possible by following the course of action the successors have chosen."

Watari sighed sadly. "You are right, of course. I'd hoped, however, that this could be avoided. But as of this moment it appears to be the only choice we have. Go on then, Near. Convince the task force to kill Light Yagami."

Near shot the inventor a thankful glance, then pushed open the door and entered the investigation room, leaving Watari behind.

"Near!" Matsuda exclaimed, spotting the white-haired boy as he entered the room.

Near stalked over to L's chair and flopped down in it. "Something has occurred," he said shortly.

"What's going on?" Mogi asked flatly. His eyes had bags under them. No doubt he was still mourning the death of Aizawa, who had been his close friend. "We haven't seen any of the Wammy kids at all today."

"L made a foolish mistake and it nearly got him killed," Near said flatly, though he longed to spit the words with the venom he felt in his heart.

"What?"

"Seriously?"

"Why? How?"

Near tilted his head back as the questions rolled over him. "L went after Kira on his own hoping to separate him from Light. He has deluded himself into thinking that he has a bullet that will kill Kira and leave Light unharmed. He has, in a manner of speaking, temporarily lost his mind."

"Temporarily?" Soichiro asked carefully.

"Once this matter is resolved I have hope that he will return to normal," Near explained. "As I was saying, L went to the hotel Kira was staying at and confronted him. Kira and L ended up in a fight, and L was severely injured."

Gasps flooded the room. "Is he going to be okay?" Matsuda demanded, eyes wide.

"He suffered from a concussion, several broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder, but he will be okay soon enough. Unfortunately he wasn't the only one to get caught up in this mess. Matt followed L to the hotel and was attacked by Beyond Birthday. Beyond beat and cut Matt within an inch of his life, but he too will recover with time." Near reached over to his computer and pulled up a live video feed of the infirmary, projecting it onto one of the large monitors on the wall, making sure the audio was off in case something incriminating was being said. Immediately he felt the disgust and horror rolling off the task force in waves as a result of seeing what Kira and Beyond had done. He was sure that seeing the normally "unbreakable" L in this state was shocking for them.

"My son did this?" Soichiro rasped.

"He did," Near responded. "Do you see now, task force? Do you see what Kira is capable of? He nearly killed L, and Matt was injured in the crossfire."

Near focused his gaze on Soichiro in particular, waiting to see his reaction to Kira's handiwork. His expression was almost nauseated, disgusted beyond belief. Good… that was the emotion Near had to manipulate. He remembered, of course, that back when Soichiro had first learned his son's true identity, he'd appeared less than enthusiastic about saving him. He'd seemed to almost want his son dead, as a sort of punishment for what he'd done. Of course, Soichiro didn't understand just how fully Light and Kira were two separate people—if he did, then Near very much doubted he would have even considered killing his son. But as things stood, he was already inclined to put an end to Kira, regardless of Light's involvement. Seeing L and Matt like this, beaten and bleeding, would be the perfect thing to push not just him, but the rest of the task force over the edge.

"Now do you understand?" Near questioned softly, adding just the right amount of remorse to his tone. "I understand that he is your son, Mr. Yagami, but he is Kira. He has murdered thousands of innocents and criminals, and now he has made an attempt on L's life."

"I thought he loved L," Matsuda whispered.

"He did," Near confirmed. "Kira has so consumed Light Yagami that he no longer has the control to save someone he loves. If Light had even the slightest chance of returning to himself, don't you think he would have pulled himself together when Kira was hurting L?"

Soichiro's expression turned sour at the thought of L and Light's relationship, but he seemed fully inclined to believe Near's words. Of course, Near thought, Soichiro wasn't going to take much convincing—he was already leaning towards the side of justice. And once he made that fateful decision to kill Kira, the rest of the task force would follow, like lost sheep to their master.

Near went on. "The truth is, Light is gone. He's been gone for a long time now, and L's been too distraught to see it. Our only option now is to kill him. If it makes you feel any better, Light will by dying for a noble cause—getting rid of Kira. He would want this. Remember, he was the one who begged L to end his life before this all started. I guarantee you that he wishes for death. And who are we to deny him?"

Near's eyes were drawn to Mogi in particular. The large man was sitting, his back slumped and head bowed, eyes studying the floor. After a moment he looked up at Near, a sad look in his eyes. "Near," he said softly. "I've thought from the beginning that Kira deserved to die. But once it turned out that Light was going to get caught in the crossfire… I wasn't so sure. And now, hearing that Light watched Kira beat L and did nothing to stop it… I can't just let that go." He straightened his back. "I vote that we kill Kira. I'm sorry, Chief Yagami."

"Hey, you can't just decide to kill him!" Matsuda protested. "What happened to burning the notebook?"

Near scoffed, "That was a lie. I devised that little scheme along with the other successors, and told it to you so you would help us locate Kira. The three of us knew before any of you that Light was beyond saving—but until he did something that proved just how far gone he was, we knew that we wouldn't be able to convince you to kill him. Now, Kira has finally proven himself as the monster he is, and as is such, the successors have decided to come clean. The truth is, we were never certain that burning the notebook would work. And even if we guessed correctly, and burning the notebook is the same as relinquishing possession, that course of action would still be foolish and borderline suicidal. If Kira had any suspicion that we were really going to win by burning the notebook, he'd write our names, regardless of what he's promised."

His speech left Matsuda looking stunned. "But… you can't just kill him!" he protested weakly.

"This is justice," Near insisted coldly. "Real justice, not Kira's twisted version."

"But…" Matsuda said, looking uncertain. "But, if you kill Kira for his crimes, aren't you just like him?"

Near's eyes narrowed. "It seems that way, yes. But I, for one, would rather lower myself to Kira's standards for just one minute rather than letting a murderer continue to kill innocent people without mercy. If we do not do this, then he will kill us, and there will be no one left with the power to stop him." Without waiting for a response, Near turned to Soichiro. "Mr. Yagami, I realize how hard this must be for you." That was a lie, he knew—Soichiro's mind was already made up. He could see it in the cold, resolute straightening of his spine, in the determined gleam in his eyes. "I do not wish to go ahead with this plan without your consent." That wasn't a lie. Near would definitely rather have Soichiro's consent, but if he refused to offer it then Near wouldn't hesitate to lock him up with L and take the rest of the task force to dispose of Kira—not that there was any risk of that.

Soichiro dropped his head into his hands. He was silent for a few long minutes, and Near thought with some amusement that he was doing a very good job of acting conflicted when his mind was already very firmly made up. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough and raspy, and his head remained buried in his hands. "I have worked my entire life to raise a son I could be proud of," he murmured dejectedly. "I struggled to instill within him a strong sense of justice and the longing for a world without evil achieved through the justice system. He grew up intelligent, strong-willed, and with the sense of justice he needed. And then… and then this happened. That same sense of justice that I had worked so hard to give him was turned against him like a weapon, twisted and corrupted by Kira. As the person who taught him the meaning of justice, I feel at fault for this whole mess."

For just a moment, Near was almost concerned—why hadn't he agreed yet? But then he calmed himself, remembering that it was normal for humans to show emotion before making such momentous decisions. Even though Soichiro had already made up his mind, even though he was already prepared to grab a gun and charge out to meet Kira, he was still conflicted. He still felt pain, and he was displaying that pain for the task force to see.

He went on, "I tried as hard as I could to keep my son on the right path. But now he has strayed from it, and I no longer have hope that he can pull himself back. That is my fault. And if only thing I can do to atone for my crimes is kill my son..." He raised his head slowly, and Near saw that his eyes were slightly puffy. He was holding back tears—this was affecting him more than Near thought. "…then I will do just that."

Matsuda's expression was nothing short of heartbroken. "Chief, you can't!"

"I must." His expression hardened, his hands clenched at his sides. "If it is what it takes, then I will kill Light Yagami. I will kill my son."

And as the rest of the task force chattered nervously, exchanging horrified, disbelieving words, Near choked back a smile. He felt the corners of his lips turning upwards, felt his teeth begging to be bared—but he forced it back down in favor of whispering a single word under his breath, a single word meant for the monster he was trying to destroy.

"Checkmate."

By the end of the next chapter, the final confrontation will be underway.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please be sure to leave a review on the way out!