He's late.

Near propped the Two of Wands against the Two of Cups, reaching behind him for a third card to lay on top. The sprawling wall of tarot cards snaked through his spartan quarters, the product of three days' wait and worry with nothing else to do. The worry, at least, had subsided. The waiting had gotten worse.

Lidner said he'd talk to me after telling his mother. What's taking him so long?

Near jumped at the buzz of the intercom, and a segment of the card wall crumbled. Annoyed, he scooped the fallen cards into a pile and went to answer the call.

"What now?"

"It's me," Light's voice replied. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's fine. You gave your mother the good news?"

"Sayu intercepted me first. Any chance I could interest you in a walk?"

"Absolutely not. Show me a solid month of good behavior, and I'll consider letting you back on the roof again. Until then, you'll have to talk to me indoors."

"Fair enough. I suppose I earned that." A quiet sigh drifted through the intercom. "I'll head back to my room and wait for you, then."

"No. Come to mine."

"Are you sure?"

"The door's unlocked. Just mind the card tower when you come in."

Without waiting for an answer, Near returned to the breach in his wall. Moments later, Light slipped quietly through the door, looking around the modest suite with a mild, puzzled frown.

"Is something wrong?" Near asked.

"Just curious. All these years we've lived in the same building, and you've never once let me in here."

"All the suites in this building have the same layout. I don't see the mystique."

"I'm aware of that." Ever-so-carefully, Light skirted the cardstock ramparts to join Near. "You watched the meeting, I take it?"

Near nodded. "Not quite how I would have handled it, but it worked."

"What a glowing assessment."

"It worked. That's praise. You don't need me to puff up your ego. I wouldn't have let you take charge if I had any doubts that you'd succeed."

"I'm aware of that, too." Light folded his arms and leaned to one side, his expression radiating amusement. "I'm open to constructive criticism."

"In that case, your self-hagiography was a bit much. 'What made the true Kira so deadly,' hm?"

"It wasn't a lie. And considering your speech to Libra, a little hagiography seemed in character to me."

Near gave him a stony look. "Lidner should have warned me you were watching that."

"You should have warned me that Sayu was watching me."

Light's voice was neutral, almost cheerful, but Near cringed all the same. "I told her I wouldn't."

"Why?"

"For the same reason Lidner didn't. You had to look natural. Any hint that you were in on the secret, and she would have written your entire performance off as an act."

"It was an act."

"To win Tsukikawa's freedom, not your sister's sympathy. You'll never convince her that you aren't a gifted liar, Light. The best you can do is convince her you're now using that skill for good."

Light sucked in a long breath, and Near braced himself for a lecture. Then his partner exhaled. "I told her everything."

"Everything?"

"Starting from the call where we first talked. You, the warehouse, my life here, Janus, Libra. I left out the confidential details and anything I wouldn't want Mom to hear about, but she has the gist. All the important parts, anyway."

Anything I wouldn't want Mom to hear about. Near didn't need to ask what that meant. He already knew. He confessed to his own crimes in detail, and downplayed the crimes against him. He'd rather be villain than victim, even now. "How did she react?"

"I've been called worse names."

"I'm sorry."

"That was a joke, not a complaint. She wasn't thrilled with my account of the Kira case, to say the least, but she heard me out and didn't kick me out afterwards. I can't ask for more than that." Light wet his lip. "I told her I'd talk to you about setting up a private line for them to call. Not in my rooms, to be clear. Just a way they can call in and ask you to put me on the line if they need to, without jeopardizing—"

"That's fine."

"All right. Thank you." For a moment, Light hovered over Near in awkward silence. Then he grimaced and sat down, avoiding the cards. "How did the ICPO react?"

"With relief, primarily. There were some pointed questions about whether or not I still have a notebook, but I reassured them all that my comments to the kidnappers had been a bluff. I'm not convinced they fully believe it, though."

"Julia and I spoke about that possibility before I executed the plan. If they ever decide to press the issue, she's willing to give up her notebook to be destroyed. You should be able to settle things with that."

" She's willing?"

"I didn't pressure her into agreeing to it, if that's what you're implying."

"No. I'm just surprised you didn't offer up your own."

"I would if I had to, but she's clearly the better choice. Her memories of the notebook aren't nearly as useful to you."

"That's my problem to sort out, not yours. I don't need you to be useful, Light." Near set two cards atop the wall breach, balancing his words with equal care. "I can't risk sending you to a therapist, and I doubt you'd make use of it if I could. But if it would help you to give up the notebook, I have no objections. All I would ask is that you surrender it to me and not Ryuk."

Light looked up at him, his brow wrinkling. "Where is this coming from?"

"This is the second time you've built surrendering a notebook into your plans, and it's hardly a secret that you've been struggling with guilt. I assumed those two things might be connected. Am I wrong?"

"Yes. I've given up my memories in prison before. Forgetting why I was suffering didn't improve the experience."

"This is hardly the same situation."

"No, it isn't. I'd still know that I was Kira; you'd have to explain that much to me. All I'd lose are the memories of writing names, and that's never been what keeps me up at night."

"It should."

"It doesn't. If I could go back, I'd burn the notebook where I found it. You know that. But there's a difference between realizing I made things worse and mourning the deaths of scumbags who deserved it. Call me a hypocrite, but that's a leap I just can't make."

I know. The knowledge haunted him, like a poltergeist sealed away beneath Light's skin. However many cases Kira solved or lives he saved, much of the man remained unchanged. No matter how sincere his remorse was, it would always be incomplete. He's doing what he should be doing now, whether he regrets the right things or not. Perhaps the why doesn't matter. Perhaps that's good enough. "You could stop worrying about Ryuk."

"Ryuk's coming back to mock me eventually whether I remember him or not. I may as well keep the ability to curse at him when he does. Besides, without those memories, I'd probably go back to worrying about you. If I had clear memories of what you've done to me, but only your word—and your subordinates'—for why…"

Ah. Near drew a new card and stared at it, guilt coiling in his gut. "Your sister accepted you. I assumed you would want to go back to Japan."

" 'Accepted' isn't the word I would use. Even if it were, what she said earlier is still true. Whatever help I can give them, I can give it to them from here."

"That doesn't mean you have to. If you had been arrested normally, they would have no say in where you were imprisoned. Their opinion on the matter shouldn't be the main concern."

"By that metric, neither should mine. It stings that I'm not closer to them; I'm not denying that. But if I went back, it wouldn't help them. Only me."

A familiar, icy dread settled into Near's chest. "So you want to go back."

"Does it matter?"

Yes. "My team can manage without you. Julia could, too. Her current rooms are perfectly comfortable, and I see no reason not to keep her on the team."

"Could you?"

"Of course. She wouldn't be able to fully replace you, obviously, but there are always tasks—"

"Nate, I was asking if you could manage."

Light's eyebrows rose pointedly, and Near's hackles rose with them. "Don't flatter yourself."

"I'm not. When Rester said you were desperate to keep me here, I thought he'd mistaken your utilitarian concerns for sentiment. Then you told me that you'd follow me to prison. I can't think of a utilitarian explanation for that."

"Then you aren't thinking very hard. I had to shock some sense into you somehow, and you're not the only person who knows how to bluff. Considering your past actions with Libra and Janus and how little you seemed to value your life when we talked, I thought the idea of destroying my life might give you more pause than destroying your own."

"Well, you weren't wrong about that." A wry smile tugged the corners of Light's lips, and he scratched the scar on his cheek. "Maybe I should have jumped."

Near sat up sharply. "Don't say that."

"For your sake, I mean. You've always had an easier time talking to me openly when I've been injured."

He's joking. "That's not funny. Even for you."

"Unfunny doesn't mean untrue. You'll talk about me to my sister, to Mom, to Libra, but the only times you'll do it with me is if you see me weakened first. I get why you're wary. It doesn't bother me. But if you want me to stay here so badly, stop dropping hints and just ask me. I think that's a fair request."

Near wet his lip. "I'm not afraid of you."

"I didn't say you were."

"You implied it. I have responsibilities you don't, Light. To you and everyone else. I want to be able to trust you completely, but—"

"I know." Light's eyes flicked to the card wall, his voice tense. "You don't have to say it."

"Apparently, I do. I think you've earned my forgiveness. I think you're doing your best to deserve it. But I will never, for one moment, forget what you're capable of. I believe you wouldn't choose to be Kira now, but you've proven that you can. I'm not afraid of you, Light. I'm afraid of the fact I'm not." Near tugged at his curtain of hair, uneasy. "I don't enjoy rubbing your nose in your situation any more than you do, but I owe it to the world to keep you secured. Considering your crimes, rehabilitation wasn't an outcome I prepared for, let alone—"

"Partnership?" Light offered quietly.

"Yes. You're a problem without easy precedents. I'm doing the best I can."

"What a flattering description."

"You asked me to be open. I'm doing my best."

"I appreciate it." Light leaned back on his hands, pinching his lip between his teeth. "L told me once that I was his first friend. It was performative bullshit, of course, and barely disguised bullshit at that. He knew it; I knew it. But with you, I feel like it might be the truth. And to be honest, it scares me some."

"Why?"

"Why do you think? You worry about what I'm capable of, but the same applies to you. The only difference is, I can't get my hands on the notebook. Anything you've done to me before, you could do again at any point. I'm glad you aren't afraid of me, but—"

"The converse isn't true. I see." Near stared at his wall of cards, fighting the urge to knock them all down in dismay. "I suppose that's natural enough."

"Don't get me wrong. I trust you not to hurt me on purpose; if I didn't, I wouldn't be saying this. But as long as we're both being open, it needed to be said."

He wants to go with them. Though Light was trying to let him down gently, Near could hear the resolve in his voice. He's already made his decision, and he's afraid of how I'll react. I know what he's really saying. He wants to go. Threading his fingers into his hair, Near forced himself to sound calm. "I'm beginning to remember why we don't talk like this more often."

"Just hear me out. I want you to put the task force in charge of me like you offered, but not because my family needs me there. You can't relax around me because it's your job to keep me contained, and I can't relax around you for the same damn reason. There's a very obvious solution here. Just hand over your role as my warden to someone else."

An obvious solution. Caught off guard, Near fumbled for a reply. "You expect me to move?"

"The only people you would trust to take over my custody are in Tokyo or Winchester, so there isn't a way to do it and stay here. You can go on working as L wherever you're living, and the SPK can still connect with you from here. You've moved for my sake before, and you survived it. If anyone would be making a sacrifice here, it's me."

"What about Julia?"

"She comes with us. If you think Aizawa would object to taking her, we can all go to Winchester instead. Donna sounds like a reasonable woman. I'd be willing to take the chance."

He's thought this through. An unfamiliar feeling, warm and hopeful, surged like a riptide through Near's veins. He wants me to come with him. He's doing this for me. "Tokyo would be preferable. I trust Donna completely, but the students at Wammy's House have a tendency to pry."

"Fair point. If there's going to be a next Janus, I shudder to think what she'd think of us now." Mischief danced in Light's eyes, and he flashed Near an impish smirk. "After all, it's one thing to keep a mass-murderer, but quite another to breed one."

Heat rushed to Near's face. "That's—that is not—"

"Not your intention, I know. Sorry. I couldn't resist."

You don't look sorry at all. "And you wonder why we don't have serious conversations."

"In my defense, you said it to me first."

"Under entirely different circumstances. A joke is one thing. If you have legitimate expectations—"

"I've never enjoyed that kind of intimacy, and you don't like being touched at all. We're on the same page there, I promise."

"I would hope so. Ethical concerns aside, the fact I tolerate your mediocrity at Go doesn't mean I want to explore your mediocrity in—"

"Nate." Light looked amused. "Do you want to come with me to Japan or not?"

Slowly, deliberately, Near nodded. "I do."

"That's all you had to say."

Light's scarred hand rested between them, palm down against the floor. Near pressed his own hand down beside it, their fingers almost close enough to touch.

"I'll give Deputy Director Aizawa a call once he's at work," he said. "It may take a couple of months before everything's ready, but until then, your rules here will return to normal. Do you have any non-negotiable demands?"

"No collars."

"Be serious."

"Aizawa's cautious, but he's no sadist. As long as Julia and I can keep working on your team, I'll agree to whatever safeguards he suggests. I do have one request for you, though."

"What is it?"

"Let Julia have a week with her dad before we leave. She deserves to be in touch with him, and you won't have the power to get her a visit once Aizawa's in charge."

Near hummed thoughtfully. "I can try. I don't know enough about the man to know if he'd agree to it, let alone assess the level of risk."

"You can figure it out. Your responsibilities extend to both of us. On things like this, you owe it to her to treat us both the same."

"And if bringing her father here requires putting you in lockdown for a week?"

"She did the same for me."

"All right. I'll talk to her and see what she wants. Do you still plan to talk to your mother?"

"I should. Even if Sayu already told her the big news, we never finished our talk on the roof. I owe her an apology, at least." Light drummed his fingers on the floor, then pushed himself up with a grunt. "Will you walk me over there, or should I buzz Gevanni?"

"I'll do it." Giddy with relief, Near dragged himself to his feet. "Just don't expect me to stick around while you chat."

The Yagamis' luggage lay in a pile on Gevanni's cart, but Mrs. Yagami was in no rush. Gripping Near's hand in both of hers, she gave him a grateful bow.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality," she said. "I can't thank you enough."

Near nodded, fighting the urge to pull his hand free. "My pleasure. Yes."

"Once you're settled in Tokyo, please let me know. You're always welcome to come over for a meal."

"I doubt Deputy Director Aizawa will authorize Light to leave confinement any time soon, if at all. Even if he did, bringing Light along to your grandchildren's house would be unwise. For several reasons."

"I know that. I'm inviting you. You're family now, remember? You're welcome at our house all on your own."

Family. The word had a weight to it—warm and heavy—like a blanket around Near's back. Like a suit of Kevlar, poorly-fitted, but protective all the same. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I'll make sure he comes over," said Light. "Don't worry."

Mrs. Yagami smiled at him fondly and hugged her wayward son farewell. Mrs. Fukui watched with a cryptic expression, cradling her infant on her hip.

"Tell me when you get there," she told her brother. "Make him do it, if you can't. Just let me know."

"I will," said Light.

"Good. I'll be in touch."

She stepped forward to hug Light as well, whispering something in his ear that made him blanch. His composure returned in an instant, and he whispered something back. Mrs. Fukui snorted and released him, turning her attention to Near instead.

"Keep him out of trouble, all right? Don't let him walk all over you just because he has a pretty face."

"Sayu," Mrs. Yagami protested, scandalized.

"What? I'm just giving him advice."

"Good advice, in my experience." Near cleared his throat, resisting the urge to glance at Light. "I'll do my best."

"Good." Light's sister held out her free hand. "Thank you."

Near shook it lightly and let it drop, unsure of what to say. To his relief, Gevanni stepped in to fill the gap. "We really should get going. Lidner says there's an accident between here and the airport, so I'd like to leave us plenty of time."

Mrs. Yagami embraced her son again, and Near felt his insides lurch. Threading his hair around his fingers, he lowered his eyes to the floor.

"You'd better listen to Gevanni," said Light. "Hideki's been missing you long enough."

"I'll call you as soon as we land," said Mrs. Yagami. "This won't be for long, Light. I'll see you soon."

"I know. I love you both." Smiling, Light waggled his fingers at his nephew. "Have a safe flight."

The baby stared back at him blankly, sucking his tiny, chubby fist. Light's smile lingered as Sayu Fukui herded their mother out the door, only to fall away the moment they had gone.

"Sayu doesn't want to tell her children about me until they're adults," he said quietly. "I wonder what he'll look like when I see him again."

If you see him, you mean. "Taller, I think."

"I certainly hope so."

"What did she whisper to you before she left?"

"Hm? Oh." A sheepish smile flitted across Light's face. "She told me to treat you better than I treated Misa."

Near froze. "She did not."

"I told her I would, if that helps."

"That's not the point. I'm a grown man. I arrested you. I'm very capable of looking out for my own well-being. If anyone knows how to keep you in line—"

"She was questioning my honor, Nate, not your capabilities. Take it as a compliment: she likes you. They both do."

I know. The reason for their acceptance mystified him. What to do with it now that he had it puzzled him more. I'll follow Light's lead until I figure it out, I suppose. I've solved harder puzzles than this. Besides, whatever mistakes I make, I'll still have fewer than Light. The bar is underground, but all the same…

Near put his hand on Light's shoulder, tentative, and Light didn't shrug it away. As Gevanni's car pulled out of the driveway, they turned together toward Roger's rooms.