Allison
I'd arrived at the SPK headquarters in three days. I left as soon as Birdie had gotten me fired, which didn't take very long. Little did I know that soon after I arrived, things would begin to get difficult.
"I've already explained it to you," Birdie said. "A notebook of death. A God of Death. Fake rules. Fake L. Kira. I want a doughnut."
"Well, that's just queer as a clockwork orange," I said. God certainly had His mysteries.
"I know! That's what I said," she exclaimed. "...Can I still get a doughnut?"
"Gevanni, please connect me to L," Near requested.
"Right."
"L, I've caught Mello," Near said.
Birdie pulled out a sketchbook, mumbling something about Near being a twit and still wanting a doughnut.
"But he escaped," Near told him. "However, I was able to question him a little." That was a lie and a half. Birdie said Mello willingly gave Near information.
"Near, Mello didn't escape, you let him get away, am I right?" the fake L said.
"No, he really did escape," Near lied. I think. I'm still not completely sure what went down when Mello came. I just know there were quite a few guns. "I'm pretty impressed at how he escaped from under our noses.
"He did tell me a few things of interest, and I would like your opinion on them, L. Mello claimed that a Shinigami possesses the notebook. Have you been able to confirm such an existence?"
"Yes, Shinigami do truly exist, but I kept it a secret because I thought you'd never believe me," L said after a pause.
"I'd really like to have a talk with that Shinigami," Near said.
You see, I love Near and all. He's an adorable yet slightly creepy kid, but these were the moments when I agreed with Birdie and wanted to box his ears.
"And the thing that's bugging me the most," Near began, "is that there's a fake rule hidden among the seven rules you told me about before."
L was quiet for a moment. "A fake rule?" I grinned. Seeing as we were all listening to L, he probably had people listening to Near.
"Yes," Near replied calmly.
"But this is Mello we're talking about. He might just be trying to confuse us."
"That's true," Near said, "but I'd like to hear your opinion. If one of the rules is fake, which one do you think it is?"
"By process of elimination, it is likely the one that says the writer will die unless they write another name in the notebook within thirteen days," L admitted.
"Yes, that's what I thought, too," Near agreed.
"Shinigami, is there a fake rule written in the notebook?" Awkward silence. I half thought that L was off his trolley. "It seems that there is no fake rule. I can only assume that Mello was lying. And if we write a name in the notebook, that person will die, so there's no way of testing it."
"So you have a Shinigami beside you?" Near said, grinning. He was kind of creeping me out. He must have been creeping Birdie out, too, since she was trying hard to concentrate on finishing her drawing but kept glancing up at Near every now and then, mumbling something about dying and evil smiles. Patience was looking at Birdie, most likely in concern.
"Yes," L answered Near's question.
"You said that the notebook is being held at the Japanese task force headquarters. That means that you, L, are also at the headquarters. Am I correct?"
"That is correct," L said.
"Are there people other than you listening to this conversation?" Near asked.
"Yes, there are," L said hesitantly.
"I think I'm figuring it out," Near said. "The new L... and the members of the Japanese task force... Did you see the original L's face?"
I raised an eyebrow. He didn't seriously think they'd met the first L, did he? At The Wammy's House, we had only ever spoken to L once. Even then, we had just been staring at a screen with a calligraphic "L" on it as the man himself spoke to us. He simply answered our questions, not having anything to tell us of his own volition until the very end. His revelation had changed the opinions of many; some for the better and some for the worse.
It's not a sense of justice.
It's a game, a hobby.
And in order to solve a case, I will do anything.
Despite this truth, my respect for the man had remained, and I still admired him overall. But that sense of wonder I had once possessed was gone. It had changed to one of disquietude, perhaps even fear.
The idea of someone meeting him face-to-face seemed absurd, yet immediately after Near posed his question...
"L cut the connection," Gevanni confirmed.
"They actually saw L in person?" I said in shock, L's disconnection enough of an answer for me.
"Based on that response, yes," Near said.
"No need to hang up like that," Birdie said. "That was just rude." I nodded in dismissive agreement, still trying to wrap my head around this startling revelation.
Then came the clicking sound from before, indicating Near's discussion with L was about to continue.
"It is true that there are some members here who have seen the original L's face," admitted the new L. A lie. Well, a partial lie, at least. They wouldn't add any more members to the task force over the years since there were so few people they could trust. It was most likely that everyone there had met the original L.
"Ah," Near said, grinning, "so you've seen him. Then let's assume—as I said, this is only an assumption—that one of the people who have seen the original L's face is Kira. Then why is Kira, who killed L, keeping you alive? Don't you think it would have been easier to kill all of you along with L?" Well, he certainly knew how to be subtle.
"Near, your assumption doesn't make any sense," said L. At this point, I had to suppress the urge to yell at him to just answer the bloody question. "The task force has been through many situations where we clearly could tell that Kira was not among us. That's why we've come this far together. The fact that we're still alive is the greatest proof that one of us is not Kira. Our assumption is that Kira got hold of L's information by some means and killed him."
"Now, is that really true?" said Near, still grinning. "I believe that the 'thirteen day rule' is a fake. If so, do you think that my assumption doesn't stand?"
"The Shinigami claims that all the rules are true," L pointed out. "Are you saying that the Shinigami is lying?"
"We're supposed to trust the creature that started this whole mess in the first place?" I mumbled, looking at Birdie.
"Yes," Near said in response to L's question. "I believe Mello over a Shinigami. It's a Shinigami for God's sake. How could I believe such a thing? And if my assumption stands, then Kira is among you and is making the Shinigami lie."
"Near, I understand your theory, but we cannot write somebody's name down just to find out whether or not the rule is fake or not," L said. "We have talked before about testing the notebook, but we've always concluded that we must respect human life, and therefore, testing the notebook is something we must never do."
"Then how about this?" said Near. "I'll write Mello's name in the book. Of course, that is only if you know Mello's real name."
Birdie looked like she wanted to kill Near more than usual at this point. Gevanni, Lidner, and Rester were all staring at him curiously. My eyes were wide in shock; for one thing, why on earth Near was assuming that L knew what Mello's real name was? Patience seemed to be the only one with no reaction, a calm expression on her face. Well, I suppose she hadn't picked her name for nothing.
"Obviously, Mello will get the death sentence if he is caught," Near pointed out. "So I'll take responsibility for writing his name down, since I let Mello escape after getting my hands on him. If I specify where he dies, then you will be able to confirm Mello's death. After that, you can perform DNA tests upon the things you have gathered from the remains of the explosion. If Mello dies, and I die thirteen days after writing his name down, Kira wins. I have no problem with that.
"'If the person using the notebook fails to consecutively write names of people to be killed within thirteen days of each other, then the user will die.' Testing this rule may turn out to be a plus for our Kira investigation, and it could never be a minus."
Now I saw where Near was going with this... sort of. Though by the looks of it, Gevanni, Lidner, and Commander Rester were all still lost.
"Near, please wait a minute," said L. "We need to talk about your suggestion." This was followed by another clicking sound. I got up and walked over to Patience, knowing that if I addressed her from across the room, she'd be too timid to respond.
"I don't get it," I told her. "L's obviously going to refuse. Either he's firm in his resolve, or he really is Kira, so accepting it would be a dead giveaway."
"He knows," Patience said, nodding in Near's direction. I raised an eyebrow and looked at her in annoyance, wanting more of an answer than that. She shrugged but nodded, acknowledging her curtness, then elaborated. "You're right about L's answer, but that isn't the point. The point is that there are people with L. No matter what L answers, Near's suggestion gives them doubt."
"Either way, the answer will be the same," said Near, surprising me and Patience, who had thought she'd been talking quietly enough for only me to hear.
On cue, there was the clicking sound again, followed by L's answer. "Near, we can't test the notebook, whatever the reason. We promise you that we'll take full responsibility for protecting it."
"Very well," Near said. "As expected."
Lacey
Despite the fact that she was walking along the hectic streets of New York, Lacey wasn't paying all that much attention to her surroundings. She had been in New York City for a couple of days now, as that's where a tournament for one of the many sports she played was taking place. So far, she hated it and wanted to get the hell out of there as soon as she possibly could.
New York. New York her ass. If York was anything like New York, she would have to make a note to never go there.
Lacey made her way down the sidewalk, quietly humming a song to herself, taking carefully paced heel-toe steps. It was then that a man roughly brushed by her, knocking her in the shoulder and off balance.
"Oi, John!" she shouted, prompting the man to turn around. "You out of your tree or something? Next time, have a butchers before you decide to walk into someone, yeah!"
"You talking to me?" he asked.
"Of course!" Lacey replied. "What, you's a cabbage? Hows about you learn to walk properly on your own two plates, you plonker?"
"How about you just calm down?" he said, rather annoyed as he tried to make sense of the woman's thick Cockney accent and otherwise strange dialect.
"I'll keep me hair on when you learn to stop acting like an Herbert! So why don't you use your loaf before—bloody Nora..."
"Jesus Christ, I can't understand a goddamn word you're saying, lady!" the man replied, throwing his arms up in defeat and walking away.
"Naff, then," Lacey muttered as she fished her cellphone out of her bag. "...Knobhead."
Despite her dainty, feminine exterior, Lacey was still as brash as ever—not that she would ever acknowledge it. Staring at what had torn her attention away from the idiotic New Yorker, Lacey couldn't help but grin, and she snapped a picture of the spectacle before her, already knowing fully well who she was going to send it to.
Allison
When I felt my leg begin to vibrate, I realized I hadn't shut off my cellphone, and I pulled it out of my pocket.
Upon seeing the name in my text notification, I was curious as to why Lacey was texting me early in the morning. I took note of the text subject, In NYC [unfortunately], and opened text, which read, Think I've lost the plot. Or maybe not? ;)
I opened the attached image and frowned when I saw a man who greatly resembled Mello walking across the streets with his head down. I knew Lacey was trying to mess with my head again. After she had gotten over Mello, she became convinced that I was in love with him.
"He hasn't left yet?" I said, confused. "What the hell is that idiot up to?"
"Who?" Birdie asked. I showed her my phone, and after seeing both the sender and the picture, she sighed. "That lunatic is still stalking Mello?"
"I doubt it, Birdie," I replied, rolling my eyes and shutting my phone. Lacey's joke would be responded to with a very long silent treatment on my part.
Shortly after that, Lidner's cellphone went off.
"Near, it's Mello," she said, handing him the phone after putting it on speaker.
I raised an eyebrow, surprised by Lidner's reaction. Or rather, her lack of reaction. She had just been contacted by Mello, but when she picked up the phone and heard his voice, she was completely unperturbed. I had learned how to read facial expressions and whatnot, though I'm not an expert. Still, I could tell. Maybe it's because of the lessons, or maybe Lidner was just bad at hiding it. Birdie stared at me in confusion, and I rolled my eyes. Maybe if she'd stayed at Wammy's, she would have been able to pick up on something like that.
"Near, a man from the Japanese task force is going to show up at your place very soon. He's a well-built man, about six-two. Now it's my turn to use you. I want you to let him in and ask him everything you need. But keep his cellphone on so that I can listen to your conversation through it. If L is really Kira, then pull information out of him that will convince me. I know you're good at that stuff. If you can do that, then I'll get Kira myself."
"Near, the man is here. He only has a cellphone and no cameras or bugs."
Hearing this, Near hung up Lidner's cellphone, put on his headset, and dialed L.
"Yes, Near?" was his answer.
"Sorry, I called the wrong number," Near said, hanging up immediately after. He looked at Lidner. "Let that man in."
"Okay," she said.
The door opened, and a large Japanese man entered.
"Hello, pleased to meet you. I'm Near. Please, sit down. There's a lot of things I want to ask you about.
"Mogi, isn't it? All Mello wants to do is capture Kira, just like we do. I'm sure you understand that. Won't you cooperate with us? And put your life at stake. You've met the former L, the real L, right? Is there anybody in the current team who L suspected even in the slightest of being Kira? Even a yes or no will suffice."
Even after such a long introduction and explanation, Near was met only with silence.
"...Mello, there is a chance that this investigator is already being controlled by Kira so that he won't say anything," Near reported.
"Right, Near," Mello agreed. "If he doesn't say anything, I think we can assume that Kira is in the Japanese task force. There's no reason for him not to want to cooperate to get Kira. Even if it's not by the notebook, he's still being controlled. I actually had a bunch of guys test the notebook a number of ways, but nobody who wrote the names down died after thirteen days."
I stiffened hearing this, almost feeling sick to my stomach, but I suppose even Mello was willing to stoop to new lows in order to win.
Near briefly pondered Mello's report, and then he went back to Mogi. "If a person did not write a name for more than thirteen days, he or she did not die. Don't you have anything concerning this fact? Any trifle thing will do. All we want is to catch Kira. You don't have to tell a lie. I suppose you don't like your fellows to be suspected. Then why don't you tell us all and decide the issue? You'll feel fine."
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"I, Demegawa, have pinpointed the hideout of an evil organization that is attempting to catch the god, Kira, and now we have closed in on them with my fellow. Watch the power of common people! Watch the power of justice!"
The ringing of a phone filled the room, and the images of all the chaos going on outside blinked away and were replaced by that all too familiar calligraphic "L."
"What's wrong, Near?" L asked once Near had picked up the call. "I know Agent Mogi was sent to you by Mello. I had Mogi say nothing, and I've been listening to you. If this continues, Mogi also...
"What's going on, Near? Is this Mello's strategy to wipe out the SPK? Or does the SPK have such a simple protection system that even ordinary people know its whereabouts?
"Near, try to escape from the place now."
"Isn't it nice how he pretends to care?" I said under my breath to no one in particular.
"How dare you say that, for you are Kira," Near said in response to L.
"Wh-what?" L said. "Why are you still saying such a thing? If this goes on, Mogi might also be killed. Just escape soon."
"It's just, the moment Mogi-san came here, this started," Near pointed out. "I could never think this happened by chance when other organizations to catch Kira exist in other countries. You are Kira. This is what you did, expecting everything will turn out to be good if all of us SPK members and Mogi die. Also, when we die, all you have to do is kill all the other members of the NPA HQ. That must be what you have in mind."
"W-what?" L exclaimed. "Stop clowning around, Near. You've jumped to the wrong conclusion and are trying to make us believe it."
"Every one of you of the NPA there," Near said, aware that others were no doubt listening in on the conversation, "Kira is at least among you. Just consider this."
Near hung up, having said what he needed to.
"The first group, break the door and enter!" boomed Demegawa as the television clicked back on.
Birdie groaned, clearly growing frustrated. "Near, don't you think that waiting around until the angry mob outside finds us might be dangerous?"
I glanced at Birdie; any other kid her age would be in a panic. I assumed the only reason she wasn't was because, despite her comment, she knew deep down that Near always had a plan. She had faith in him, even if she wasn't conscious of it.
Near had no response to Birdie's snarky inquiry, instead fixating on the screens showing the riot going on just outside the base.
"What foolish people," he said. "I'm not surprised to know there are such people as stand for Kira, but I suppose they just expect in their heart that Kira judges the evil. These people who came here are even different from such ones. They are more hopeless idiots.
"Those who have gone as far as to worship Kira can be blind, soldier-like murderers and will have done just the opposite thing from what Kira originally aimed. The followers who were taken here by such worshipers and do not have their own will. Fools who simply want violence, those who are enjoying this turmoil. Among them, there must be quite a few anti-Kira."
"Near, it is no time to analyze these people," Commander Rester averred.
"Yes, it is," Near said firmly. "Those who stand for Kira will be sideliners who hate only their own danger. The violent mob down there are selfish people who just want amusement. Don't you think so?"
"W-well, I agree with you, but—"
"—Then let's make use of such facts," said Near, interrupting Commander Rester. "If we use L's assets and the anti-Kira people we hired, we'll succeed."
"B-but once we carry out the plan," Commander Rester began.
"Let's carry it out," said Near. "We've already prepared for it. I expect it's interesting."
Soon after, the skies of New York City began to rain down money.
"P-Pilot, go to the floor the money comes from!" Demegawa ordered.
"Mello, now we're escaping from here," Near said. "I'll cut off the line of Mogi's cellphone.
"Commander Rester, please issue an order that they wear police officer's uniform. I'll pay them later a far fatter price than the money you see now scattered. Well, some of them should lose their head with money and pretend to chase the money we scattered. Please issue such an order.
"Commander Rester, my portrait has been handed to the NPA through Wammy's House." Looking from me to Rester, he said, "If L is Kira, you, Birdie, and possibly Patience are the only SPK members whose faces they don't know. That is, you should not get separated with Mogi, for you will not be doubted."
"Oh, there comes the police squad," noted Demegawa. "The police have been sent out for this panic. I suppose they came not to control Kira followers, but to calm down this turmoil."
"Won't a thirteen-year-old stand out in a mob?" Lidner pointed out. "She's tall enough, but even then, it's obvious she's not an adult."
"Oh, come on, I'm taller than Near!" Birdie argued. Still, with her overall size, she'd likely be buried alive in one of those uniforms.
Looking at me, Near ignored Birdie and said, "You stay with Birdie. You could pass off as her older sister or something. Some of these Kira fanatics are teaching this Kira nonsense to their kids as if it's some kind of religion, anyway. Be sure to keep her away from any cameras if you can, just in case.
"Let's go. Now we are safe even if we openly go out of the entrance. We can throw away Mr. Mogi's cellphone into someone's pocket outside."
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"Gevanni, will communication with Watari... L... make a comeback?" Near asked.
"Yes, I hope I can redeem it in a few days," Gevanni answered.
"As Mogi will tell nothing, we have to make other members of HQ tell," said Near.
"Near, now we can use the scrambled communication with Watari again," Gevanni announced.
"Alright. Then hook me up," Near instructed. "Rester, please shut Mogi's mouth."
"Near. L, speaking. Are you alright?"
"No. Mogi-san has died of a heart attack. I'll send his body to the NPA in a few days. If any of you hear our conversation and think Kira might be among HQ, please get in touch with me with the following phone number," he said before listing off numbers.
"Near and all the members of HQ: whoever wants to cooperate with Near, please do. I'm not satisfied to continue the investigation under this situation. I think it's ideal that both SPK and us cooperate on the investigation with both fully understanding."
Once Near had disconnected with L, I briskly walked over to Mogi, undoing the cloth that Rester had tied around his mouth.
"I'm sorry about that, Mogi-san," I said to him in Japanese. "Near is... eccentric... or cautious... or both."
I was surprised to see Mogi smile after I told him that. Then I realized it was probably due to my Japanese. I believe that everyone there was familiar with Japanese, enough so that they could understand most of what L and Near were saying to one another when they shifted to L's native tongue. However, like any language, people who know Japanese but are not native speakers tend to speak slowly. Though the accent may be spot on, you can generally find out if someone is foreign if you listen to the speed of their speech or if they're unable to keep up with you. This was no doubt the case for the SPK members. Near could speak fast enough and pronounce everything correctly, but it lacked... emotion is the only word I can think of.
That could be why, I thought. Sometimes, I wonder if Near has any emotions...
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"Near speaking. Would you come over here and talk on the condition that you won't tell the HQ about this place? Of course, this would be after we check that you're neither Kira nor Kira's spy."
"Understood," replied a voice on the other end of the line.
"I have one more thing to say to you," Near said. "Mogi-san is alive. I told a lie to help a guy like you make up your mind."
"A lie? Then, may I speak to Mogi now?"
"Yes."
"Mogi speaking," said Mogi when he received the phone.
"Mogi... Mogi, I'm coming to you now," said the voice on the phone. "First, I'm going to listen to them and then talk about what I can tell."
"Yes, I've come to think it's better," Mogi admitted.
"He can speak!" Near marveled. "Mogi-san is some guy."
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Noticing movement, I looked up at the surveillance screen showing footage of the entrance. Gevanni approached, a blindfolded Japanese man at his side.
"Near, it looks like they're back," I noted.
"Mogi-san, he is Aizawa-san, isn't he?" Near asked after looking at the screen.
Mogi nodded.
"Let him in," Near instructed.
Commander Rester unlocked the door for Gevanni and Aizawa, and the two entered.
"Aizawa," said Mogi.
The only connection to home Mogi had in the time he had been there was my voice, but now something—someone—truly familiar was in front of him. I could only imagine his relief.
"Mogi!" said Aizawa, able to recognize his friend by his voice alone.
"Nice to meet you, Aizawa-san," said Near.
"I can't say 'nice to meet you' with my blindfold on," Aizawa said.
"Understood," Near said. "If you answer a few questions fair and square, I'll take it off.
"I hear you were near the former SPK headquarters. Why?"
"Because we were following Mogi, who was led by Mello."
"Of course, at that time you had on some communication devices to contact L... I mean the second L, didn't you?" Near inquired.
"Yeah, I had communication equipment to talk with L and a transmitter to tell him where we were. I also had a camera with me, but now I have no tools, as I was told."
"Then take off your blindfold," Near said. Aizawa did just so. "That he let you have a camera probably means that L was Kira, and he wanted to see Mello's face. That also means you are not a Kira follower who has the ability to kill a person just by looking at his or her face. I don't think you had some bargain with Kira after that. I believe you have come here to cooperate for the investigation."
"You said cooperation, but I still don't trust you completely," Aizawa said. "I am still a member of the NPA. I'll cooperate with you as much as I can. However, I have something that bothers me considering your theory that L is Kira. I just realized that such a possibility is not zero."
"Why did that bother you?" Near asked. "What part of that bothered you?"
"Though I said that bothered me, it does if I believe Mello," Aizawa specified. "If I cannot believe what Mello said, I don't want to say anything."
"What Mello said... You mean the thirteen-day rule, don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Indeed, the way Mello took was too much, but it was because he wanted to catch Kira," Near explained.
"To be more specific, Mello wants to catch Kira before Near," said Lidner. I raised an eyebrow. She sounded so certain of that, like she knew Mello's character.
"For Mello and myself, L has been the only person we adore and the only person who deserves our respect." I couldn't help but clench my fists, and I noticed Patience staring somberly at the floor. "L has been the goal for all the members of the Wammy's House. It's clear that L, our respectable goal, was killed by Kira. We want to catch Kira by all means. Don't you think it's a natural feeling? Once he knew Kira's means of killing was a notebook, he should want to get the notebook as a clue to catch Kira.
"So Mello, heedless of danger, put himself among mafia and made use of them. Then, he was robbed of the notebook. Though his way might be wrong, if you get the notebook, it's natural you try it. Mafia... they were good targets to try the notebook on. I don't think Mello had to write down names by himself. It should be a wrong way, but it was all because he wanted to catch Kira, who he had been hating. Well, whether the rule was true or not, you can't know unless you try it, which the NPA wouldn't allow you to do. If the thirteen-day rule is fake, you feel bothered, don't you, Aizawa-san? Why is that?"
"There was a person suspected by the former L and was in custody," Aizawa revealed. "After having been in custody for fifty days, he was released. Then when the thirteen-day rule which came out when we caught Higuchi made him innocent."
"Then that is, the present L? Is that right?"
"Yes," Aizawa verified. "In fact, another person was also in custody, who was called the second Kira."
"Oh, I know. That was the one who caused a ruckus at Sakura TV. If the thirteen-day rule is a fake, then the two are definitely Kira, aren't they?"
"It's too presumptuous to say 'definitely' just because L suspected it," Aizawa replied.
"It might be so," Near admitted. "By the way, why did you release them after fifty days of custody? According to you, you didn't find out about the thirteen-day rule until after they were released."
"They were in custody without being able to move their hands for over fifty days, but Kira's murders did not stop," Aizawa said. "It would have been natural to make the assumption that they are not Kira and should be released."
"It wasn't L who said they should be released, was it?" Near said.
"No," Aizawa confirmed. "We agents forced him to do so."
"Then did L release them immediately?" Near asked.
"No, L had Yagami-san, who was the chief at that time, test them. He let the chief out and told him to say, 'L came to the conclusion that you two are Kira and the second Kira.' And tell them he would take them to the execution ground. While on their way to the execution grounds, the chief pulled over and pointed his gun at them, saying, 'I'll kill Kira, and then I'll kill myself.' L thought that if they were Kira and the second Kira, they would kill the chief, and he made a judgment based on that."
"You didn't know of the existence of the notebook at the time, so if they didn't have the notebook at the time, the play meant nothing, didn't it?" Near pointed out.
"No, if I think about it now, it means it doesn't."
"Kira was some guy," Near noted. "Kira made the best use of the custody and made himself innocent."
"Why can you say that?" Aizawa asked.
"Of course, you saw the rules on the notebook after you had caught Higuchi," Near said. "If you had got the thirteen-day rule before that, it would have looked like a lie. He expected he would be in custody, and he wrote down the fake thirteen-day rule among the true rules of the notebook. Then he handed the book to someone else and waited till L caught the person and got the notebook."
"But the rules of the notebook were written with material that doesn't exist on earth," Aizawa said.
"Then he made the Shinigami write it down, or he borrowed something to write with from the Shinigami," Near said. "You won't tell me the suspected Kira let himself be in custody on his own will, will you? If it was his own will, that settles it. Then, trusting L's ability, he waited until L caught Higuchi, got the notebook and saw the thirteen-day rule. He happened to have been released before that, but whether or not he was released didn't matter."
"But Near, all you are saying is just a guess and without any evidence," Aizawa asserted.
"That's right," Near said, "but if I narrow down to the person in custody and keep on investigating, surely. Then who were they? The two?"
"Sorry, I can't tell you that," said Aizawa. "As I told you before, I am a member of the NPA, and I'm working under L."
"Then could you tell us anything except their names in as much detail as possible?" Near requested.
"Agreed."
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"Thank you for your useful information," said Near. "You two may go back now."
"You heard that much and then say, 'Go back?'" Aizawa said, surprised.
"So I thanked you for your useful information," Near said. "Especially the trade for the Shinigami eyes in exchange for half of the rest of someone's lifespan that is made with the Shinigami, served as a useful reference. I haven't heard of it before. Though I don't know the present condition, Kira didn't do this trade at first, which the Second did. I knew that."
"Is that all?" Aizawa asked.
"If we investigate, it will be hard to investigate the second L, so we should begin with the suspected Second Kira," Near ideated. "If we catch the notebook, it will make a clear proof. But since I suggest you come and tell with the Second L listening to me, too, if the Second L is Kira and the Second Kira is murdering now, I don't expect I can catch the notebook.
"I also think it difficult to get the confession of a person who was in custody for over fifty days and said nothing. To begin with, I don't think he let the person who was suspected that far keep on murdering up till now. Especially when the world has changed so much, he can find anyone who can replace the Second Kira."
"Then you can do nothing about this?"
"No, at present I can do nothing," Near confessed. "I'm sorry for my big mouth. If anything new happens, I'll call you. In such a case, please call the other number I told you earlier. Gevanni, please drive these two to a train station or an airport. I feel sorry for the NPA if I keep them here for so long. Then sorry to say, please be blindfolded again."
"What the heck was that about, you idiot?" Birdie said once they'd left. "We didn't learn anything useful! You didn't even try to get him to tell you who the suspects were!"
"On the contrary, I did," Near replied.
"Um, no, you didn't," Birdie said. "Allison, you're the Japanese expert; we didn't learn anything useful, did we?"
"They didn't tell us anything specific, no," I said.
"So Near's just a bonehead, then. I told you, Patience!"
Birdie was rather stubborn. That's how she got to the SPK in the first place. I heard Roger had denied her request for six months straight, but she wouldn't stop screaming—and I literally mean screaming as if she were being brutally murdered or something—until Roger gave in, begged Near to take her, and was then forced by his doctor to take a therapeutic vacation for a month before he developed an ulcer.
"It wasn't intentional," Patience replied.
"Huh?"
"What do you mean?" asked Commander Rester.
Patience looked at Near for help, but he didn't say anything, instead staring at her expectantly, a slight grin on his face. Apparently, whatever it is he had figured out, he wanted Patience to explain. I don't know why, though. Maybe he wanted to see if she had come to the same conclusion that he had. She was gifted, after all. People have a lot of different talents at Wammy's, but Patience's is probably one of the most useful I know of.
"Chief Yagami," Patience began, "he said that he would kill himself. After he killed Kira."
"And?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"He would feel so guilty about killing Kira, that he would kill himself afterwards. That means the suspected Kira must have... must have meant something to him. He was willing to die for him. Chief Yagami couldn't live knowing that he ended this person's life, or maybe he couldn't live knowing that this person was Kira. Like he felt responsible for the existence of Kira; like he could have prevented it. The only person I... I can think of who would do that for someone... who would feel that way... is a parent. They brought them into the world..."
"...So they have to be the one to take them out of it," I finished for her, realizing what she meant.
"Exactly," said Near.
"But I thought you suspected the second L of being Kira?" Birdie said.
"Yagami's son is a member of the NPA, right?" said Patience. I was surprised to hear her speak up willingly.
"Light Yagami," said Near.
Patience nodded. "Our number one suspect."
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A/N: Birdie's your average 5'3" 13 year ol' girl, while Near's 5'1". But Near canonically has a growth-spurt after the main story. Then again, so does Birdie. Most of the Wammy's boys were written as below average height. Mello's 5'8" and Matt 5'6".
If you're wondering why Allison was allowed to come, it's because I picture Near not really giving a fuck one way or the other.
L's quote was in paragraphs because it wasn't one full quote. It was bits and pieces of a longer quote. What Allison said is canon. Even that some of the kids lost respect for him.
Now, some of you mighta noticed that Lacey talks kinda strange in comparison t'the others in this story. The reason fer that is cuz Lacey's dialect is very stereotypical of where she's from. I know people from London who don't use as much London dialect as Lacey does. Y'always meet that one person who uses a lotta hometown dialect and has a thick accent 'n' it's sometimes hard t'understand 'em. Lacey's one o' those people who's like that all the time and is pro'lly aware of it but does it anyways.
Everyone has a dialect, and I point that out in the story. The Wammy's kids are from all over Britain (the US, in Patience's case), so some o' the dialects are particurly noticeable. Cuz some o' them have been liviin' at Wammy's longer than others, they mighta picked up the local accent, dialect, er slang in place of what their 'erginal was. Some o' them have been there a long time, but it they just never lost their 'eriginal way of talkiin'. In cases like Patience and May's, it just never left fer some reason; in Lacey's case, she just refused to let it go cuz she loved it an' it was a reminder/memento of/from home. Like I said, they have unique accents; I just don't write 'em out since it'd be a pain for me and you.
Hope ya didn't have too much trouble readin' the last few paragraphs of how I talk, if just ta get the poin' across.
P.S. Sorry this chapter's twice as long as the usual. I only just realized now—many, many years later. Too late to split them up. :P