Truth and Justice

Warnings for this chapter: Angst, Language, reference to N/C WIP.
SPOILERS: All manga, all anime, L's true name, Another Note, Law and Right.

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Truth and Justice

Chapter 4: Setback

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Half an hour was a long time, and Light was clearly restless even though he was engaged in polite conversation with Linda. He checked his watch frequently, and his mind often traveled back to the tiny weapon hidden inside. He had never imagined L would show his trust in so blunt and pointed away. There was audio and visual of him, of course, but they already knew he was skilled at hiding his actions in plain sight.

That was how he'd killed Higuchi, after all. He had been given his weapon of last resort, along with a gun in a shoulder holster under his blazer.

In the end, Light saw Ryuk before he saw Near, straightening up and letting Linda know that Near was coming. He was tense, but he stayed seated, laid his hand over Linda's to calm her, giving her a small smile and taking a sip of his coffee. He released her hand and sat back when Near settled into a seat.

"It has been a while, Kira," Near said quietly.

Light cocked an eyebrow. "The same to you."

"I was never Kira," Near replied.

"It's looking that way, isn't it? We checked on your lead, it turns out he was reported missing in a hospital fire and given up for dead when the body didn't turn up," Light gave a small nod. "So why don't we discuss your theories."

"You're armed," Near said simply, "and still retain ownership."

"Of course I retain ownership, and as for what I'm armed with, it's a much more... mundane weapon," Light shrugged. "Do you think, even now, that L would trust me with even a shred of something so dangerous?"

"I do," Near replied quietly, "because of the part you played in capturing me. You could have escaped quite easily, taken ownership of another notebook, returned to being Kira."

Light's laugh was derisive. "I am not Kira any longer. I am not pure enough to be a god anymore," he said bitterly, turning his gaze away. "I was soiled, victimized. The victim cannot decide the punishment for the guilty, or the whole world would be dead by now."

"Is that how you see yourself now?" Near shook his head softly. "And here I thought you believed yourself to be a reformed criminal. Looks like we're both wrong."

"We're not here to talk about me, Near. What have you got that's going to stop me from pulling out handcuffs?" Light took another long sip of his coffee.

"I'm tracking B right now. He bought the negatives to some photographs that will be of strong interest to you and L. To myself and most of the taskforce, as well," Near said with a soft frown. "I want to be left to my investigation, which I will pursue alone. I have my suspicions about who framed me, and I'm certain that Lidner was a part of it. I just need to know who was the puppet master. Who had Lidner doing those things for them?"

"We're embarking on the same investigation. We haven't entirely cleared you, but there's some pretty big holes in the case against you," Light replied. "You make one of them bigger and we can leave you alone."

Near considered for a moment, his gaze shifting to Ryuk, hovering for a moment, before he turned his eyes back to Light. "I know how you were tarnished, and I know who was convicted for it. I've verified the accused's alibi on video."

Light paled, his lips thinning as he pressed them together. "This is not about me, Near," but his voice shook slightly. "Give me something from your end of things, that's what I need."

Near gave a small nod of agreement. "The accused died in prison during the murders I was convicted for. He was the first to die, as far as I can tell. Whoever it was knew that your name had come up in connection with that name, knew that you were the original Kira. I didn't know why you confessed, or even that you were alive, until I arrived at the headquarters. Give this to L and he will be able to verify my statements," Near produced a yellow piece of paper, slid it over.

Light accepted it, looked at the paper carefully. "I want to see your notebook."

"To see if there have been names written in it?" Near shook his head a little, but he reached back, pulling the notebook from where it was tucked into the small of his back, putting it in front of himself on the table, opening it and flipping through the pages. "I'm not handing it over to you, Kira."

"I don't expect you to," Light replied simply. "I'm satisfied with seeing it from here."

"Good," Near replaced the Death Note to where he'd been carrying it.

"If you wish to contact me from now on, you may do so through Linda," he nodded at her, acknowledging her for the first time. "I will contact her periodically to receive updates on any communications you wish to send."

"Then I have one last question," Light said, and his gaze shifted to Ryuk. "Why?"

"Hyuk, hyuk, why not? I got bored when the case was closed. You guys got it wrong, so I thought he might like a chance to make it right," Ryuk laughed.

"You're as annoying as ever," Light said absently and pulled an apple from one of his pockets, handed it to Near. "Give this to my old friend, would you?"

The smile on Near's face was impish. "Bribing him won't work."

Light gave a wicked grin. "I don't need to bribe a god to get my information -- or my freedom. Good luck, Near, you're going to need it." Light rose then, turning his back and disappearing into the crowd.

"That... was strange," Linda sighed softly, looking at Near. "Be safe, all right?"

Near nodded. "Go home, Linda. I'll contact you soon," he promised, then got up and left as well.

That, Linda decided, was just like them. Geniuses were such a pain in the ass. She sighed deeply, paying for the coffee and heading back in the direction of her car.

Two hours later, L had deciphered the note Near had left and hacked into the personal journals Near kept during the investigation. "The last update to the information is the date it was written. There have been views, but no alteration. I will run a search for ghost memory, but there doesn't seem to be a forgery on the timestamp, nor any way for Near to have accessed the information from prison," L announced as he stacked a pile of single serving creamers in front of his keyboard. “Even if that did not prove his innocence, Ryuk’s testimony adds weight to his claims. He is not precisely trustworthy, but he doesn’t have a reason to lie.”

"You just accessed Near’s diary remotely," Matt pointed out.

"No, I happened to choose that hard drive to bring with us," L corrected. "It has been off-network since Near's arrest."

Matt grunted softly. "Light's been in the bathroom for an awfully long time."

Sighing, L rose, going to the bathroom and knocking softly before he picked the lock and slipped inside. He nearly choked on the steam when he closed the door behind him. He went to the shower, turned the water off.

Looking up from behind soaking wet hair, Light looked smaller somehow. He dropped his washcloth, looking away again when he was handed a towel.

The silence between them seemed to last forever before L took his hand, squeezed it gently. "We'll find out who, and we'll put them away," L promised.

"I threw up," Light said softly, resting the towel on his head, rubbing his hair half-heartedly. "I had a flash back. It's like... like the beginning again," he swallowed heavily.

"No," L replied softly, smiling, kissing that hand that was quivering in his own. "This time, you have me. All of me, from start to finish. You don't have to face any of it alone."

Light squeezed L's hand. It was the only reply he could muster that wouldn't result in a fit of tears. He released his husband's hand, reaching up to towel his hair to something near dry before drying the rest of himself off. "He only said it to throw me off, I really don't think he has the evidence."

"He has it," L sighed softly. "And he already sent it through to one of my primary email accounts. I'm not bothering to try and trace it, but he sent it about twenty minutes before the meeting. The man that was convicted of raping you was innocent."

Light closed his eyes tightly. "Then he wants me out of this investigation."

"Or it was a lead related to the Kira case. One that would get me more interested in it than I was before, if that was possible. Something that would motivate us to look in directions other than Near which, of course, is his goal," L pointed out, then pulled Light in for a soft kiss. "We'll get through it. There is no other option."

"Yeah," Light sighed heavily, resting his forehead against L's. "I'm probably going to have a bad night tonight."

"And I will be there when you need me," L promised without hesitation. "You'd better hurry up. Matt and Mello are asking after you."

"I'll be out in a minute," Light promised, pulling the towel down and beginning to dry off.

"All right. I'll let you have a look at Near's journal entries when you're ready," L left Light to redress.

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A/N: And so we've had a Small Reveal! More will be coming soon! And in case anyone was wondering, Linda is a real character from Wammy's House. She's the only other orphan mentioned by name, and she's only seen once, but I figured I might as well use someone that actually exists in canon.