Near set up his dice into the form of a pyramid. He was in a private room at the moment away from the screens that made up approximately 97.23% of his life. The pyramid was one that he had constructed many times before. It was a simple square pyramid with all its angle degrees equaling 45. As he worked, Near became more and more dismayed by his creation. He took it apart time and time again, but there was something constantly off with it. He worked for more than an hour, but the only thing that he managed to accomplish was to aggravate himself. Yes emotions were brought to the surface only when needed unlike the tragic emotional Mellow. A few seconds later Giovanni came in.
“Yes?” Near asked trying not to show the irritation in his voice.
“Near, the second L is on the line. He wishes to speak with you,” Giovanni reported calmly.
“Tell him I am busy at the moment,” Near answered.
“Is that wise, Near?” Giovanni asked.
“Maybe not, but I am busy,” Near answered.
Giovanni stared for a second then turned back toward the main room. All the screens blared the stiff L icon. Without even seeing it, Near felt its presence irritating. That was the second L. That was the man who Near knew for a fact was Kira. That was the man that killed the real L. That man was the one who believed he could become a god of death. No he was not a god. He was a heartless murderer. There was no difference between the criminals killed and the killed L. Kira believed in death to those of pure hearts as well as those with less pure. He had given up his humanity for the Death Note. That man would be stopped at all costs. And yet this was not the time to think of that man. This time would be used for what was always needed in times of stress. This time would be used as a break.
Giovanni’s footsteps clicked and could be heard as they reentered the main room. The clicks stopped as Giovanni came to what Near knew was the table with his walkie-talki. Giovanni pressed the walkie-talkie that was Near’s transmitter and the sounds of L came through.
“Near I believe we….” Light started on the other line.
“Near refuses to see you at this time L please call back later,” Giovanni cut in.
Shocked for a second, Light asked, “What do you mean he refuses?”
“He is busy, Goodbye.”
Light was left with a scowl on his face. What was that about? He thought.
Near heard the walkie-talkie placed back down on the floor. His room was completely silent. Nothing except the clicking sound of his own dice against each other existed. The beats of the corners as they were stacked this way and that could be compared with a heart monitor of someone in a coma. This way and that the dice were stacked.
L, Near wondered, what is your tomb like?
The sounds of the clicks of dice continued with Near unaware of himself. As he began to come back to himself, Near realized what he was making. The pyramid had become a square Christian tomb. It was nothing grand. No it was rather simple. Just the way that L liked it. He had preferred simple material things such as sweets and…..bells. Yes, L had liked bells. There was a time when L had come to the Wammery House and shown his love of those two eternal things.
It had been a snowy day right before the Kira investigation had started and after Christmas had ended. School would start soon, and then the trees would bloom. But that would be in the future. Now was the time in-between when Mellow got restless and terrorized the House with his excess energy. It was the time when Matt would hold up in his room with a new video game threatening to have Mellow beat anyone who came within three feet of him. Yes technically it was the most boring time of the year. That was when he chose to come. That was when L chose to come and pay the House a visit.
He came late in the day when the snow was slowing. The sun was shining its last across the terrain and entering the west windows. Near had been in the front main room building a train track he had received as a Christmas gift from Roger. The front door opened bringing with it snow and a thin lanky body, but Near did not look up. Sandals were shed by the door, but the train remain Near’s foremost focus. The shuffling of feet across the floor was lost to Near. Finally the sound of a voice caught his attention.
“So you are Near,” a soothing voice stated.
Near’s eyes rose to meet this new voice. It was a rather young looking man. He wore a long white shirt and blue pants. His skin was nearly as pale as Near’s, but what really captivated Near was the man’s eyes. These eyes were large and black. Bags were cuddled under the eyelids, but the eyes were pure and full. No matter how hard Near tried, ne found that he could not look away.
“I’m L. So you are the one that has made such good grades here,” L smiled.
Near felt a tingle of excitement run through him. So this was the L that was the genius that could solve unsolvable cases. This was the man that had existed as the idol of the House. He was young and thin, but his eyes were those of someone who knew. Knew what? No one knew.
“Yes I am Near, but Mellow and Matt make good grades as well,” Near replied trying to sound apathetic.
“Ah yes those two as well. I came to say hi to my future successors. Come let’s go and get the two M&Ms.”
“A pet name?” Near questioned.
“You could say that. The only reason I said it was because it relates back to well…sweets. I use the sugar in sweets to give me the energy to solve the unsolvable. Cake is the best though. Oh sorry I am droning. I could probably find a sweet name for you too.”
Near felt his face become scarlet.
“L….”
“Sweets are good. Let’s go raid the cabinet. No let’s get Mellow and Matt and then raid the cabinet.”
The two walked down the halls of the House until they came to Mellow and Matt’s room. The door was slightly ajar. L grabbed the door and pushed it fully open. The room contained a cross between two very different tastes. On Mellow’s side the walls were black and the bed spread was at best a pile of sheets. A desk with a chair under it stood off to the side. Leather clothes stacked on it showed the owner to of the desk to be Mellow. His picture that would in the future be bartered off by Near was in a frame above the desk. Mellow himself was sprawled out on the floor with what looked to be a “How to be a Better Bully” book. The other side of the room was quite different. The walls were a deep red color with random pictures of singers and actors that included Misa Amane. His bed was well kept, but the bedside table was a mess with cigarettes cases and lighters. A few dozen video game consoles and games were scattered on the floor and near what appeared to be an easy chair. Matt was sitting on the window sill that separated the two sides of the room smoking a cigarette and playing a game.
“Cigarettes are going to kill you,” Near commented to Matt. The redhead looked around as Mellow looked up.
“Leave it to you to be the optimistic one,” Matt answered.
“So these are the second and third of the school. Hello Mellow and Matt. I am L.”
Silence engulfed the room, but after five seconds of strange and awkward looks, Mellow jumped up and grabbed L in a hug.
“OMG OMG OMG!” Mellow exploded as he slowly released the shocked but rather happy L.
“Is he always like that?” L asked with an astonished face.
“No usually he is more like a guy, he is kinda like a girl when he does it,” Matt answered, “You get used to it after like five years of living together.” (Sounds kinda like a marriage hu?)
“They are both emotional,” Near droned.
“Hey! Don’t insult me!” Mellow growled.
“It wasn’t an insult it was a fact. There is always a 63.23% chance that you will be melodramatic,” Near said keeping his straight face.
“So that is where you get the name Mellow from,” Matt laughed. His cigarette dropped from his mouth as Mellow socked him a hard one.
“Matt! You should be on my side!” Mellow bared his angered fangs.
“Well now that we have met, let’s go get cake and sweets from the pantry,” L dropped in.
Silence once again consumed the room as everyone once again reevaluated each other.
And so the students plus L snuck past Roger and raided the kitchen of the sweets. To make things interesting, Matt was humming the “secret agent” tune. Mellow made dramatic movements as if he was a secret agent with L following close behind while Matt followed walking straight and upward with an unlit cigarette to the side of his mouth. Near felt this was a tad overdoing it, but it was rather comical to see L, the greatest solver playing secret agent. He walked a tad behind them all. (author’s note: I know we all don’t know if Near can walk, but if anyone knows for sure please tell me!) They nearly got caught three times, but each time they managed to slip away.
“We did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Mellow said triumphantly as they sat on the rooftop eating the sweets.
L reached for the last milk chocolate bar, but was stopped by the sound of bells far off in the distance. He froze for the few seconds that the bells rang. Near watched this strange action and as L’s eyes changed as he heard them. Instead of eating the chocolate, L picked it up and threw it in the general direction of Mellow.
“Here Mellow eat this,” L said, “it has a lot of sugar and is a really good sweet for someone like you.”
“Chocolate? I have never been a real fan, but ok.” Mellow took the chocolate and ate it where he sat. “Mmmmmmmmmm it is better than I remembered. What kind is it?”
“Milk chocolate, it tastes better than the dark chocolate that you probably tried. Now Near try this candy!” L said as he handed Near what looked to be a thin piece of bread rolled into a cylinder and dipped in chocolate. “It is called Pokey”
“Pokey hu?” Near asked as he took the Pokey.
He took a bite and found the taste favorable. He took another and soon found himself asking for more.
The bells sounded again and L froze.
“Why do you do that?” Near asked.
“Every time I hear bells, they remind me of those that have died. Good people who have died in the pursuit of justice. These people I honor and they keep me fighting for justice. Near, always remember to fight for justice. That way, justice will always prevail,” L answered.
And with that he smiled. It was that smile that awakened what had seemed to sleep inside of Near all this time. Yes he would be like L and fight for justice.
And now Near returned to his dice. They remained in the formation of a tomb, but Near used his index finger to push them over. The motion was complete and the tomb fell into a pile or dice. Near looked away from his destruction to what could only be described as human chess pieces. There was one for all of those in the second L’s task force as well as his own. Kira was running out of pieces now and soon it would end.
“As long as I live for justice, Kira will never win, and L is not really dead for his virtues are with me now.”
Extra:
Light continued to look at his speaker. Did Near really refuse to hear what he had to say? What was that all about? Could he be planning something? Did he receive new evidence that I am Kira? Has he found something about Misa? No I had Misa give up all her memories. She knows nothing. Maybe he found out about Mikami! Could it be? This is most troubling.
“Light, if you keep that face it will get stuck and you will never keep Misa as your girlfriend,” Matsuda laughed.
Light reached over and grabbed Matsuda’s sandwich. (If you don’t get the joke here, read Light Dreams)
“Shut up Matsuda.”
