~{Y/N}'s POV~

"Get ready, guys," Mello said, "We're gonna go visit our 'old friend Near'."

"What?!" Matt and I chimed in unison.

"That was him that just called. Apparently half of the SPK Team is dead. Killed by Kira. He wants us to go see him 'cause he doesn't want us to get killed."

I smiled and nodded. "Sweet! I haven't been able to hang out with Near for a while!"

Matt gave me a look of disbelief. "He was at your wedding, dumbass!"

"I know, but I didn't get to really spend time with him."

"Well, you won't get to. We're going, getting what we need, and leaving." Mello said, getting up from the table to go get ready. "Matt, you stay at the house. {Y/N} and I'll take the car."

I kissed Matt on the cheek and went to change my clothes. I slipped on black tights and a tight-fitting black shirt. Then I put on thigh sheaths and slipped a pair of throwing knives in both. "Looking good, babes," Mello said from behind me, and I turned to see him smirked and staring at my ass. He was wearing his usual leather vest and pants, but the burns made him look... Badass.

"Pervert." I muttered, grabbing my purse and slipping more knifes in there.

"Here, I got you a little something." He said, holding out a pistol. I looked at him in shock and then grinned.

"Thanks, Mel!" I cheered, "I guess we're like Harley Quinn and The Joker now, huh?"

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Please. Kira's no Batman, baby."

I shrugged and walked out of the room and went to the living room, where Matt was already playing videogames. "You. Mail Jeevas. Take care of the house and yourself while we're gone, alright? Call me if anything happens." I ordered, and he gave me a thumbs-up.

Mello tossed me a leather jacket and I slipped it on before heading outside, getting into the passenger's front seat of Matt's car. Mello sat down beside me, buckled up and looked at me. "You sure you wanna do this? You can back out."

"I'm fine. Let's go." I said, buckling my own belt as Mello started the car and pulled out of the driveway. "So, how're we gonna get into the SPK headquarters? I'm sure that it's secure-"

"I know where Halle lives. The woman with the silvery-blonde hair? We're gonna force our way in."

I gulped, but nodded as a sign of agreement. If we made one wrong move, the SPK could easily have reason to shoot us. Kill us. But none of that mattered. I had to support my husband, no matter what.

I pulled the pistol out of my purse and stuck it in the waistline of my tights, making sure that it was fully loaded. I glanced out the window and sighed. "You know, you could still work with Near..."

"I'm not working with him." He told me bluntly, "We've never gotten along. Do you want me to kill him?"

"Of course not, but I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt while trying to do this on your own."

"I have you and Matt. I'm fine." He said, pulling into a parking lot. "We're here."

I got out the car and followed Mello into an apartment building. We went all the way to the tenth floor and into a random room, where I could hear water coming from the bathroom.

What the hell are you planning to do, Mel?

He pulled a chocolate bar out of one of his jacket pockets and smirked. "We're gonna use her to get to Near. We just have to wait."

"Wait? For what?"

As soon as I'd spoken, the water shut off and I heard a sigh come from the bathroom. "For that. Come here." Mello ordered, and I hid behind him, wrapping my hand around the pistol.

What is he gonna do if she tries to kill us? Sure, it's 2-on-1, but I'm not gonna be much help!

I braced myself as the bathroom door opened and a medium height, blonde-haired lady stepped out with nothin but a towel covering her body. She turned and gasped when she saw Mello. "So you're alive?"

Without responding, he put the chocolate in his mouth and snapped off a piece, making the sound echo throughout the apartment. "Halle... We need to see Near..." He muttered, and she rolled her eyes.

"You could've just went to headquarters! He would've let you in!"

"Not really. He would've just gotten me to call him. Listen, go get dressed. I'm using you to get in."

Halle's eyes went wide and she glared at me. "Who's that?"

"My wife, stupid. Now. Go. Get. Dressed."

Feeling awkward, I stepped out from behind Mello and gave the woman a wink, which made her soften a bit. Women are easier to get along with other women than men, right? So why not make her feel a bit more comfortable knowing that I'm there?

"Okay, give me a minute." Halle said, running to a room that was close to us.

I smiled at Mello and he sighed. "Thank goodness that I didn't end up working with the SPK."

"Eh? Why?"

"'Cause imagine me coming up to you and being like, 'Near This' and 'Near That'. It's annoying!"

"Listen, Mel, I know you don't like Near but he's my friend. Chill out."

He rolled his blue eyes and took another bite of chocolate. "I'm chill. I was just saying, thank god I ended up with you."

I blushed and was about to make another smart ass reply when Halle came out of her room and smiled. "I'm ready. Are we going or what?"

"Come on, Mel." I said, tugging his jacket so he would follow. We left the apartment and went back into the car. Instead of sitting up in front with Mello, I say in the back with Halle.

"So," she began, "You're the infamous Mrs.Keehl, huh?"

"The one and only!" I chirped, and she smiled.

"Near's told me a lot about you two. He doesn't enjoy talking about Mello, but when it comes to you, once he starts, there's no shutting him up."

I laughed and grinned. "Well, Near and I have been through some crazy shit, too. He's one of my closest friends."

Not as close as Matty, but still close.

"It seems so. He attended your wedding, I believe."

"Yes," I confirmed, "He did. And my baby shower, too. Oh, and my engagement. He was there for that."

"Wow," Halle replied. "He seems to be attached to you. How long have you known him?"

"Since I was about 4. Mello and I were taken in by the orphanage around then."

"So he's known you for a very long time, then. No wonder he cherishes you."

"Yeah..."

"Oi, hate to interrupt the girl chat, but we've gotta get going." Mello said, and I motioned for Halle to get out of the car.

Mello and I got out, both holding guns to Halle's back and head. I took a deep breath before following her lead all the way to the SPK headquarters. As soon as the door to the investigation room opened, I squealed and ran inside. "Near!"

I grabbed the albino and pulled him in for a tight and long hug. "C-can't... B-breath..." He managed, and I let go and giggled apologetically.

Gevanni and Rester, the only other investigators, pointed their guns at Mello and I. "Drop your weapons!" They yelled, and in defeat, I put my pistol away.

"Everyone, please put away your guns. Having a shootout here would achieve nothing."

The SPK investigators, along with Mello, lowered their guns and slipped them into whatever they were being carried in.

Mello pulled his jacket hood off and smirked. "Looks like things are going just as you planned, Near."

"I'd suppose so..." Near replied.

"You'd say that? Even though most of your investigators have been murdered?"

There was a certain ring to Mello's voice... It contained almost a toxic tone that made me shiver.

"What about the fake rules?" He continued, grinning at me.

"Yes, now I know. As soon as it was mentioned, Kira panicked and made his move. Therefore confirming my suspicions. Thank you for that, Mello."

"What was that?"

"You filled in the missing pieces." Near droned. "In the end, what saved me was the information you provided."

I heard a light growl come from Mello as I saw his jaw clench. "Near, I have no intentions of working together with you!"

"Yes, I know." The smaller male replied.

"The only reason I'm here is to get that photograph of me that you have."

Photograph??

Near pulled out a picture of a much smaller and younger Mello, presumingly from our days at Wammy's. "Of course. I got it from the orphanage. There was only one, and no copies have been made. I've already gone ahead and dealt with everyone that knows your face both inside and outside Wammy's House. They'll keep quiet."

He threw the photo to Mello, who caught it and throughly inspected it. He seemed to be remembering something, but didn't say a word.

"I can't say 100% for certain, but it should be impossible for you to be killed by the notebook. Is that the only business you had with me, Mello?"

I looked at Near in surprise. For him to act like this must've taken quite a lot out of him. He matured. More than I would've expected, I might add.

"Near..." Mello muttered, and I gulped. A showdown between the two minds that were practically destined to compete. "I'll be watching, to see how you fight this one. Besides, we both know where this thing is gonna take us. So that's where I'll be. Waiting."

He turned to leave, but was stopped by a blunt voice. "And you let {Y/N} join your team, as well?"

I could practically feel the anger coming off of Mello, and it almost scared me. "Near, I made him let me join."

"You shouldn't be involved. You're going to get yourself killed."

"I'm either rebelling against Kira, or dying while trying. I'm not letting Mello do this alone. And I'm sure as hell not gonna let you or Matt, or anyone else, tell me different."

I got up, kissed Near on the cheek, and went to link my arm with Mello's. "Bye, Near. We'll see you on the other side."

I waved and walked back out with Mello. He smirked at me and kissed my forehead. "What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?"

"You killed a few men." I said with a shrug, and he grunted in disapproval. "I'm kidding. You knew what you wanted, and weren't afraid to reach for it."

"C'mon, let's go home." He said, getting into Matt's car. I smiled and got in as well, putting on my seatbelt and gazing out of the window.

~TIME SKIP~

When we got home, Matt was sitting at the table with a set of papers in front of him. "What's wrong, Matty?" I said when I saw how focused he was.

"I've come up with some stuff for our mission, but you're not gonna like it." He responded, running a hand through his red hair.

"Well, just shoot." Mello muttered, sitting down.

"You see, that Takada lady from the news, she's Kira's spokesperson. If we were to kidnap her and keep her hostage, what do you think would happen?"

"She would have to get saved by Kira. Or at least Kira's team or whatever. It would catch the bastard off-guard." I answered.

"Exactly. So if we devise something that'll get us Takada, but keep us hidden, we're golden!"

"Sweet! Good going, Matt!" Mello exclaimed, giving the gamer a high-five.

"Okay, boys, since we've got that ready," I mumbled, "Let's get to planning, shall we?"

Kira, you fucker...

We're coming for you.