Patience

"The second L, who I think is Kira, is Light Yagami," Near stated. "It isn't surprising that he cooperated with the NPA and now he's L. No choice.
"Lidner, I believe Mello is still staying in New York, correct?"

Along with Birdie and Allison, my eyes darted to Lidner.

"Yes," Lidner confirmed nervously.

"Then behind my back tell him when and where Gevanni will let Mogi and Aizawa out at..." As Near said this, Allison left the room. Birdie looked at me, expecting me to go after her; she frowned when she realized that I wasn't going to. I couldn't. "Actually, you can tell him everything except the fact that L is Light Yagami. I expect Mello will arrive at last to Light Yagami. If more than just our side investigates, we'll have a much higher possibility of knowing the second L's whereabouts and who the second Kira is."

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"Commander Rester, I've asked too much of you, but could you please fly over to Japan?"

"Understood," said Rester. "I'll inquire about Light Yagami as much as possible in Japan."

"I can't thank you enough."

Allison

"Light Yagami. He's a grad student of To-Oh University, but after his graduation, nobody saw him in the grad school. Currently, the NPA has all their recruits hold false position titles for fear that they might be known as the staff of NPA. In 2000 and 2002, Light Yagami advised the NPA to the solution of certain cases and was given testimonials by the NPA. Considering these cases and his father, we should think that he now works for NPA. Plus, when I asked some former students about Light Yagami as a student of To-Oh University, I've got some strange answers which bothered me.
"Light Yagami passed the entrance exam with the highest score, but there was another one, whose name was Hideki Ryuga, the same name as a popular artist in Japan at that time, who also got the highest score. The two made a public address at the entrance ceremony. Ryuga often hung out with Light Yagami. The photo of Hideki Ryuga hasn't been found anywhere. Plus, I've got info that Hideki Ryuga, Light Yagami and Misa Amane met together at the University in June 2004, and since that time no one has seen Hideki Ryuga. Since then, for several months, both Light Yagami and Misa Amane were missing.
"Using the same alias as a popular artist, he became close to Light Yagami, who was suspected as Kira. It might have been his make-or-break gamble considering if his true name hadn't been known, he wouldn't have been killed even if his investigating was leaked. However, the second Kira, who was able to get names just by looking at faces, appeared, and Kira and the second Kira cooperated. It works out. Light Yagami, Kira, Misa Amane, the second Kira, and Hideki Ryuga, L."

"It becomes consistent with the report of the tailor that after Mogi and his friend left from here they headed for Misa Amane," noted Gevanni.

"This also agrees with the fact that Misa Amane is now the fiancée of Light Yagami," Lidner added.

"Near, this Kiyomi Takada the announcer of NHN, Japan," Rester began. "She was a classmate of Light Yagami in the university, and she had a special relationship with him."

"What do you mean by 'special?'" asked Near.

"I can't say with certainty, but it seems other classmates thought they were more than just friends," Rester explained. "I don't think this happened by chance."

"He has also been friends with Amane since the university," Gevanni pointed out.

"Near, over here I'm moving around as a close adviser to Takada. However, the bar has been raised, and it will still take a good amount of time."

"I see," said Near, "I thought you'd be at that point. Thank you, Commander Rester. I will also be arriving in Japan shortly. That will be all."

"Right," said Rester, "I'm out, then."

"Does that mean we'll be off to Japan, too?" I asked.

"Yes, it does," said Near.

"We'll need to take two planes," Patience said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Picture Birdie on a twelve hour flight with Near."

"I see your point."

"Would one of you mind going with me?" Near said.

"I suppose," I said, "but why?"

"I've never experienced the first class procedures of riding on a plane alone, so I want to go together."

"Okay then, who's going with me?" Birdie asked.

I gave Patience a pleading look, silently begging her to go with Near.

"Allison will go with you," Patience relented. She didn't sound exasperated or angry, simply accepting the fact, the thought of being alone with Near nothing new to her.

I have nothing against Near, but being on a long plane ride with him would be... well, uncomfortable is an understatement. We'd just be sitting in awkward silence until the two of us reached Japan. What Patience probably didn't realize, though, is that this wasn't the only reason I wanted her to go with Near. Not only would I feel more comfortable, but Near probably would as well.

He and Patience weren't all that talkative, so it's not as though they would be talking to one another the entire way to Japan, if at all. They'd sit in silence, but it was the silence that reassured me. Patience probably never noticed, but I did, and I know others did, too. The first time I realized was years ago, back at Wammy's. The younger kids would all go outside for a while, and the older kids would be finishing up their classes. Patience hadn't been feeling good one day, so she'd stayed inside along with Near, who never went out with the others.

Then I'd come back afterwards and seen her and Near. Neither of them were talking; Near was playing with one of his toys, and Patience was just sitting, looking at the ceiling. The two obviously knew that the other was there, and if it was anyone else in there with Near, the room would have been seething with unease. But with Patience, it was different. It was the kind of content silence you could only share with a close friend, one you'd known for years. I was almost put at ease just by observing it.

"Great," Birdie said unenthusiastically, "we're going to Japan."

"Homesick?" Patience inquired.

"No," Birdie replied, her tone unconvincing.

"Birdie, you can always go back to Wammy's if you want to, love," I said, glancing at Near, who nodded in confirmation.

"I can't go back!" Birdie explained. "It's worse there!"

"Why?" Patience asked.

"Essence!"

"Wait a second," I said, "are you saying that the reason you wanted to help Near was actually because of Essence?"

"Well," Birdie began, "well, that's a whole other ball game."

"Birdie!" I exclaimed.

"Essence?" said Patience.

"Patience, I swear, sometimes I wonder if you can say more than one word at a time," I said. "Anyhow, Essence is—was—Birdie's roommate.
"You seriously left for such a stupid reason? Just imagine how your warden would react if he knew about this!"

"I can imagine," Birdie said, "and since I don't have a death wish, I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything to Marius."

I groaned. "Birdie, we told you to talk to Essence! What could she have been doing that was so bad?"

"She's a Wiccan!" Birdie said defensively.

"So?"

"So?" Birdie repeated, surprised that I'd ask such a question. "So she has a doggone altar in the room! And knives and stuff! She said the knife was wooden, but I knew she was going to sacrifice me in the middle of the night or something!"

"Birdie, I'm fairly certain that Wiccans don't perform ritualistic human sacrifices," I replied.

"I don't care. There are still too many rituals!" she said. "There are her weird holidays, and she has other rituals. She tried to 'dispel my negative energy'. I don't even know what that means! And she has a staff—a staff, Allison! I swear, if I ever see another pentagram in my life, I'll jump off the nearest bridge I can find!"

"There are other people who do religious rites and rituals at Wammy's," I pointed out. "Even I did and still do, for that matter."

"Allison, you can pray and eat your savior's body all you want; just don't do it in my room."

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"Allison?"

I looked over at Birdie, who was sitting in the seat nearest the aisle. She was snuggled up in her old, green sweatshirt, staring at me, her eyelids heavy as she gave a small yawn.

"What is it?" I said.

"What will you do if you find Mello?" she asked.

I looked out the window as if I might find the answers in the clouds we flew by.

"I don't know, Birdie," I admitted.

"What do you think he will do?"

"I don't know," I repeated.

"Allison?"

I sighed. "What is it, Birdie?"

"I miss May," she sleepily drawled.

My eyes widened, and I turned to look at Birdie again, who had tears running down her eyes but didn't bother to wipe them away. It was odd, seeing her like that, but it made me remember that she was still just a kid. It was an easy thing to forget.

"So do I, love," I whispered, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "So do I."

Near

The flight to Japan had been long, much longer than the flight from England to the United States. It gave him time to think about the Kira case, but there wasn't all that much for him to think. He had reviewed what he knew, and he was currently in the middle of making his next move. He had pondered what would happen next, but it wasn't long before he had gone through every possible scenario that he could think of. He quickly grew bored with this, knowing that it would be hours before they finally arrived in Japan.

His mind wandered until he thought of a new topic, one he had thought about several times before. The woman sitting next to him, asleep; perhaps woman isn't the right word, her apparent frailness making her seem almost like a frightened child at times. She bothered him. That was the only way to describe it.

Near was a genius; to say this was by no means an exaggeration. He was able to solve countless puzzles, mathematical and otherwise. He was able to determine what kind of person you were and would be able to predict your next move. Even if he wouldn't guess correctly, which in itself was a rare occurrence, he would still have some sort of guess, already having a certain understanding of your character.

He had known that Birdie, despite her seemingly dauntless personality, would break down when she learned that May had died. He had known that the second L would refuse to test out the Death Note. He had known that the people outside of the SPK headquarters were greedy and would go after the money. He had been able to predict all of this, as well as various other things, because after observing a person for a short time, he would know them as well as he knew the back of his hand. But with Patience, it was different. He was never able to grasp her; he thought he knew what kind of person she was, but whenever he began to think that he had finally come to understand her, she would do something to prove him wrong.

It was no doubt a challenge—she was a challenge, and very few things challenged Near. He found the prospect interesting, though. And like any equation, riddle, or puzzle, he was determined to solve it, be it easy or difficult. Especially if it was difficult.

She was indeed a challenge, and Near was determined to figure her out.

Patience

In the new Japanese headquarters, Near called L. After talking to Watari, he was then connected with L.

"Near, it's L."

"L. Long time no see," said Near. "I'm thankful to see there's still a possibility of correspondence."

"Near, under what business do I owe this pleasure?" L asked.

"In order to ensure the capture of Kira, I'm in Japan," Near revealed.

Noticing that Birdie was about to make some sort of exclamation of surprise, I shook my head, as Near was not wearing a headset, and L could currently hear anything going on in the room.

"Now, if you're investigating Kira, that means you should be trying to probe NHN's Takada Kiyomi," Near noted, "but those, of course, are standard moves. That's why I came to Japan, to do precisely the same investigation."

"Well, if it's that investigation, I'm already doing it in Japan," L admitted. "If you can cooperate, I can think of a way to work together, but you obviously have your doubts about me, so you won't do that, right?"

"You just said I'm right?" Near asked.

"Yes," L confirmed. "I've been in contact with the announcer Takada, in person, and I've been investigating from there."

There were people listening in on the conversation, then. Near believed L to be Kira, and L was aware of this, knowing that he could not convince Near otherwise.

That means he's trying to convince someone else, I thought.

"In addition, this sides investigator, Mogi-san, is getting closer to being able to get in and out of NHN."

"L, we'll definitely get inside NHN," Near assured him. "Just one thing. You said you've already contacted Takada and began investigating her?"

"Yes."

"In that case, I want you to somehow pass onto Takada that some members of the SPK have left New York and have come to Japan to catch Kira," Near requested. "For Takada, including the current state of Kira's society, this would be information she would definitely announce. And I won't mind if you told them this, including Near, who's in charge, they amount to only six people.
"Aside from myself, the members are Rester, Gevanni, Lidner, Allison, and Patience, whom Aizawa-san and Mogi-san met at SPK. I'm not lying. That's the truth."

"Patience and Allison?" L said after a moment, considering this information. The other three had been referred to by their last names, and L no doubt found it strange that Allison and I were not.

"Like myself, they are from the Wammy's House," Near explained. "It's somewhat of a custom there to pick a new name and lose your old one."

"I see," L replied.

"If Aizawa-san or Mogi-san see any of my agents at NHN, by all means, please tell L," Near said. "I don't want to hinder either of our investigations. However, don't let them release any pictures of them because this information serves as a lure for Kira. There are only six of us, including me. Kira won't run. He'll definitely try to kill us. To kill me, a potential avenger."

"Near," L said, "one of my colleagues informed me that there was a seventh person. A young girl."

Birdie looked around, as if checking for confirmation that the young girl in question was her.

"Yes," Near admitted. "I had been looking into getting information on Mello. The ex-wife of one of the mafia members working with Mello was willing to give us information but feared for her daughter's life. She was convinced that her ex would either try to kill her or kidnap their daughter as payback.
"She was scared and wanted her daughter to be safe quickly. I recommended the Witness Protection Program, but she was insistent that there was not enough time, so she requested that we hide her daughter instead, while she would join the Witness Protection Program.
"After the mafia was taken down at their base, we waited a while for reassurance, and then the mother was contacted and informed that she could come for her daughter. We planned on sending her daughter to the airport upon the mother's arrival, but as you are aware, things didn't go quite as planned. However, we managed, and she is currently back with her mother."

"I see," said L. As unlikely as Near's story sounded, the idea of Birdie, who was only eleven, being part of the SPK seemed even more unlikely, so he probably bought the story.

"Near, you have six members in Japan," L noted. "That amount's okay, right?"

"Yes," said Near. "There was a tie when I had assembled many, but now our numbers are unimportant. I am in Japan."

"I, too, am in Japan," L said.

"Well then, since we're both nearby, it might happen that we'll meet, face-to-face," Near suggested.

"That's true."

"It will be a pleasure to meet you."

"Yes."

"Then we'll surely be able to conclude after this affair with Kira."

"We certainly will."

"Just by dealing with Kira and the existing notebook, the world won't return to how it was," Near admitted. "If we erase Kira and the notebook from this earth, we win. If we die, Kira wins. This battle is now, no, it was, from the beginning, never about capturing anyone. It's about a one-on-one battle to prove who's the best, and that cannot be judged by the laws of this world. One-on-one, this battle was simply to prove who's the best."

"Alright, then," said L. "We'll discuss things further later on. Goodbye."

"Why did you lie about me?" Birdie asked once we had disconnected.

"Everyone else here is an adult and made the decision to come here and put their lives on the line," Near explained. "You are still a student at Wammy's, and therefore Roger's responsibility. Now that you are here, you are my responsibility."

Birdie frowned, clearly unhappy with that idea. "I'd argue with you, but I feel too sick."

"What's wrong, love?" Allison asked.

"I've got a stomachache," Birdie explained. "I feel like I'm going to vomit."

"Well, we'd best avoid that," said Allison. "Probably the plane ride; some people aren't good with long flights.
"Near, is it alright if I take her to the chemist's and get her some medicine?"

"Of course," Near said.

"Alright, then," said Allison, "let's get a move on, Birdie."

"Whatever," Birdie said, clearly too nauseous to say anything more.

Allison

"You just wanted to leave, didn't you?" Birdie said.

"Pretty much," I admitted.

As the two of us walked around a corner, I bumped into someone, causing me to drop my things on the ground. I looked up to see a Japanese woman with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized, helping me pick up my things. "I should have looked where I was going."

"That's alright," I assured her, unable to look a way from her striking green eyes. "It was my fault, too.
"Are you new to Japan?"

"Huh?" the woman replied, a look of realization then coming to form on her face. "Oh, no; I've been here for several years now. I moved here from the United States a while ago. I'm only half Japanese, but I can usually pass off as a native. I didn't realize that my accent was still so noticeable. Well, in Japanese, at least."

"Allison is just really good at noticing those sorts of things," Birdie said in English, preferring to speak in her native tongue whenever possible.

"Oh, so then you two aren't from around here either," the woman said in a thick Bostonian accent. "Are you from England, then?"

"No, not England," I lied, switching to English and using a fake yet convincing Australian accent. I was a translator... well, before Birdie got me sacked, that is. I'd been all over the world and met all kinds of people, and I am quick on picking up languages; accents and dialects included. "A lot of people think that, but we're actually Aussies."

"Oh," replied the woman, raising an eyebrow, "I know a lot of English people, so I could have sworn your accent was..."

"Yes, well, they do sound very similar, don't they?" I said. A lot of people got them confused, that's true. Well, except for me.

"What are you—?"

"—Anyhow, it's nice to meet you," I said, interrupting Birdie. "My name is Allison Jordan, and this is my little sister, Beatrice."

"Nice meeting you," said the woman. "Here in Japan I use my middle name and my mom's family name; my Japanese name is Takano Tsukiyo. But my actual name is Jessica Lockwood."

"Oh," I said. I recognized the name. "Well, goodbye then."

Birdie and I walked into the chemist, where I was going to buy something for her stomach. She wasn't good with airplane rides, and I didn't know for how long she would be able to suppress the urge to vomit. Feeling a tug on my shirt, I looked down at Birdie, who was staring skeptically at me.

"What was that about?" she asked. "Since when are we sisters from Australia with different names?"

"We can't be too careful, Birdie," I warned her.

"But that was Jessica Lockwood," Birdie pointed out.

"It's probably just a coincidence,  Birdie," I said. Or maybe not. I wasn't risking it, though; not to mention we didn't even know if her first name was Emily-Jessica or if it was actually just Jessica. "Now go wait outside. I don't need you shoplifting and getting the both of us into trouble."

"Fine," she relented, stepping outside of the shop.

Birdie

Listening to the ring of the bell as she stepped outside, she waited for the click of the door shutting before going back to where she'd seen Jessica. Birdie was the math expert here, not Allison, and she knew that the probability of another Jessica Lockwood being in Japan and knowing people from England wasn't very likely. Of course, the probability of running into the Jessica Lockwood they were looking for was also a far-fetched idea, but Birdie was unable to ignore the feeling in her gut, feeling that there was more to this serendipitous event than Allison believed.

"Jessica!" said Birdie, running after the familiar silhouette.

"Hmm, what's up, kid?" said Jessica, as she turned around to see the young blonde running after her.

Birdie hesitated a moment, pondering whether or not she should do what her gut was telling her.

"...You dropped something."

"Oh," Jessica said, noticing that her wallet had fallen out of her pocket, "thanks, Beatrice. I should really buy a pocketbook."

"No problem," Birdie said as Jessica walked away, wondering if she had just made a big mistake.