Nate doesn't talk.
The SPKs' glares are somewhat hostile and laced with suspicion.
I'm friendly!
Ugh.
"Near... can we talk... just a little?" I ask timidly.
He lifts a train of the tracks. "Sure, you can talk. But the others will be listening."
"What's the point in that?" I huff.
"I believe that they should learn about how I know you. Otherwise, I'll find this environment extremely unpleasant."
"That's what you're worried about?"
Nate places the red engine on the floor.
I roll my eyes.
Fine.
Sassy little marshmallow.
I turn to the SKP members.
"Ok... I met Near when I was working on the Kira case with L, to be honest, I was more there for moral support and because he became very attached to me... anyway, Near was part of the investigation as well, because we recruited him and Mello." I explain, "L is..."
"He's still alive," Nate delivers the news, "and I very much suspect that he's the father of your... children?"
"Yeah... triplets..." I scratch the back of my neck sheepishly.
"Congratulations..."
"Can I get a hug now?"
"Ok."
Nate approaches me and wraps his arms around 43% of my much larger self.
He presses his ear to my stomach as I stroke his soft hair, the corners of his lips forming a faint smile.
The SPK look scandalised.
I mean, sure, Nate did just hug someone.
And smile.
But it's cute!
Rester dabs his eyes with a handkerchief.
"Wow... I didn't realise..." Gevanni begins, unsure of how to continue.
"We became a sort of family..." I explain, "but Mello..."
Nate's content smile vanishes. "Mello is being stupid."
"That's not very nice..." I murmur.
"I think, he looks lonely," Nate ponders indifferently, placing his small hand on my Watermelones as they kick like jumping fleas.
I try not to sigh. "He'll come round, Mello's sensitive but he doesn't know it."
"Ok, but he did kill people," Gevanni folds his arms in opposition.
"Mello will use any means necessary to achieve his ends, I've said this before," Nate says.
"Wait..." Halle's eyes are wide. "I'm sorry, but you mentioned L... he's still alive? Could you... maybe explain?"
I'm fully prepared to launch into a detailed recollection of the events of the Yotsuba arc, when Nate demands that I sit on a chair and Rester offers me a biscuit.
I will get along with these people.
They feed me biscuits.
"We had no choice but to fake L's death," I conclude, "he was completely backed into a corner."
Rester nods in interest.
Gevanni blinks a few extra times.
Halle acts like any other anime character, with a small bead of sweat on her forehead.
Nate yawns.
"Do you sleep much?" I ask him.
"No..."
"It's terrible..." Rester muses.
"I will sack you."
Rester backs off.
"You should sleep. You might be L's successor but that doesn't make you allowed to get diabetes and never sleep."
"L is an insomniac, I believe," Nate says, playing with a piece of hair.
"And you're not," I exhale with a grin, "go to bed."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"This will continue."
"Fine with me."
Nate makes a slight noise of exasperation and glances at the clock.
"Yes, it is past your bedtime," I say.
He pouts childishly.
【L】
I end up having to tuck Nate into bed.
He looks rather pleased with himself, hugging his teddy bear with a smug expression.
"I'm pregnant you know, I need my own sleep."
"Oh, but there's nowhere to sleep."
...
"Move over."
He obliges.
This child...
"You just want my attention, don't you."
I hear Nate's hum of acknowledgement.
It's not that I'm closer to Nate than Mihael, but I find Nate to be more affectionate, and I realise that being supported by his peers really maters to him.
Mihael is confusing and sometimes irrational, but in that way we are alike.
I wonder if my own children will get on with the two of them...
"They can be your little brothers... if you want," I whisper to Nate.
He nods after a moment of consideration. "That would be nice. When will you be seeing L again? I can't imagine him risking leaving The Wammy's House with Kira still a threat."
"Yeah... I don't really know... hopefully soon..."
As much as I love Nate to pieces, I can't help but wish it was L curled up beside me, feeling the kicks and punches of the small babies.
Oh well... he'll be with us again soon.
【L】
"Gevanni, please connect me to L." Nate puts the headpiece on and continues to observe his circle of cards surrounding him.
I stop spinning on the chair to listen.
I've been wondering how different Nate's investigation is since he already knows a lot more than he originally would have from being present for the first half of the case.
"L, I've caught Mello," Nate says.
I blink.
"But... he escaped." He continues, "However, I was able to question him a little."
"Near..." Light begins, "Mello didn't escape, you let him get away. Am I right?"
That prune on a doormat.
I glare at the world.
"No, he really did escape," Nate says with a silent chuckle, "I'm pretty impressed at how he escaped from under our noses."
Haha.
He's smirking again.
"He did tell me something of interest, and I would like your opinion on them, L." Nate places the card back into his circle. "Mello tested out the notebook, and it bugs me that there's a rule that is fake."
"A fake rule...?"
"Yes, I believe it is the one the original L was about to test before he was killed by Kira." Nate smirks much more widely. "So, what do you think, L number two?"
Light is silent for a moment. "Shinigami, is there a fake rule written in the notebook?" he asks.
OH, RYUK!
My backup boyfriend.
I'm kidding, I don't want his children.
"It seems that there is no fake rule. I can only assume that Mello is lying," Light tells us, "and if we write a name down in the notebook, that person will die, so there's no way of testing it."
Nate's eyes widen. "So, you have the shinigami beside you?"
Light sighs. "Yes..."
"And you've seen the original L's face..."
Light doesn't respond to that.
"I think I'm figuring it out..." The boy's lip curls.
Suddenly Gevanni turns. "L cut the connection," he says.
"Hehe. He must be peeing himself." I chuckle, "Near, you're pretty terrifying."
Nate hides his amusement under his mop of snow-white hair.
Light returns to the conversation. "It's true that the taskforce is the same, we all worked with L. You know that."
"Then let's assume... that one of you is Kira," Nate begins, "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?"
"Your assumption doesn't make any sense. L used many means to test whether one of us was Kira... and the very fact that the task force is alive is proof that none of us are Kira. Our assumption is that Kira somehow got hold of L's information and killed him."
Pfft.
"Now is that really true?" Nate taunts, "I believe that the 13 day rule is fake. If so, do you still think that my assumption doesn't stand?"
I'm lost.
These people are too smart for me.
I do not understand what Nate River is on about.
Unless...
Oh wait now I do!
It was just my delayed intelligence.
He's referring to Light and Misa's confinement, and also the fact that if they were guilty, they wouldn't be dead from the 13 day rule so Light is a lying carpet flea.
I don't know...
"The shinigami claims that all the rules are true. Are you saying that the shinigami is lying?" Light ridicules.
"Yes," Nate says simply, "I believe Mello over a shinigami. It's a shinigami for God sake, how could I believe such a thing?" He continues, "And if my assumption still stands... then Kira is amongst you, and is making the shinigami lie."
Light eventually speaks. "Near, I understand your theory," he says, "but the taskforce have agreed that we will not have anyone write a name in the notebook to find out whether the rule is fake or not. We must respect human life."
I find Light a disrespect to my human life.
"Then how about this... I'll write Mello's name in the notebook."
SISTER, nO!
"That is, if you know Mello's name. Obviously, he'll get the death sentence if he's caught, so I'll take full responsibility for writing his name." Nate continues at ease, "If Mello dies... and I die 13 days later, Kira wins. I have no problem with that."
He's so SNEAKY!
If Light is God then Near is Jesus.
Wait no.
That's really not correct.
Near is like... a crazy atheist.
"It could only be a plus to test out this rule, never a minus."
True.
But if Nate kills Mihael I will personally strangle him.
"Near, please wait a minute," Light asks, "we need to talk about your suggestion."
They go offline.
"NEAR IF YOU KILL MELLO THAT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO-"
"I'm not serious," Nate rolls his eyes, "well, maybe 3% serious... but I'm expecting them to turn this down, which would only increase the chances that the new L is Kira, trying to avoid the fake rule being proven."
Oh...
"Who do you think the new L is?" I ask.
"It's obviously Light Yagami, but now that is not important," he twirls his hair, "it's not time for me to confront him, I would end up like L. I have to back him into a corner with no way out in order to end this."
"Or just ask Mello very kindly to blow him up."
Nate frowns. "Well, that would be very disrespectful."
"Seriously...?"
"Yes, I do not believe L would approve of that method."
Fair enough.
"I think L just wants to stick a pair of handcuffs on him and laugh in his face..." I muse.
"Hmm..." Nate thinks about that for a minute.
"We can't test the notebook, whatever the reason. We will take full responsibility for protecting it."
"Very well, as expected..." This time Nate's smirk is plain cheeky.
"You sassy little..." I begin.
"You know Mello hated it when you called him a marshmallow. He doesn't like them, he prefers chocolate," Nate tells me.
I laUgh. "That's why I called him a marshmallow. Haha, marshmello."
Nate has a plain expression. "That wasn't funny."
"Haha... it was!" I try to stop giggling like a mental woman.
Marshmello... I'm calling Mihael that when I next see him.
Nate rolls his eyes and wanders off to his toy box.
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I wrote this essay and it won a competition.
I'm so amazing
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- Mwua