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Near crouched in the middle of SPK Headquarters, a finger twisting his platinum locks. He kept his eyes cast to the robot gripped in his small, cold hands, marching along the city built in miniature across the floor, never meeting the angry threatening gaze of his visitor.
It all felt like déjà vu, Mello standing behind him, gun pointed at the back of his head with a rage gnarling just beneath the surface. If Near was a less practical person, he would have entertained the idea for more than a moment, but he had other things to consider.
“You’re sure that photograph was the only one?” The young blond snarled at him through scarred lips.
“As I told you the other day when you were here and asked, yes. That was the only existing photograph of you.” He kept his tone, even, almost passive. “I’m not entirely sure what sparked your suspicion. You seemed satisfied when we parted ways with how we resolved everything.”
“Well, I got to thinking. What better way to convince me Kira couldn’t get to me than for me to believe that there was no way he could know what I look like. It would be such an easy way to get rid of me.”
“You think I would jeopardize your life over some one-sided rivalry? Is this how little you think of me?” Near turned to look up at him, icy blue eyes cutting into Mello. “I would never do that to you or the memory of L. I would hope you knew me better than that.”
Mello’s scowl deepened, gnashing his teeth against each other before speaking. “All I know is you were the little bastard standing in my way of being L.”
He returned his attention to his toys, choosing a Godzilla figure to level the three buildings directly in front of him. “And if you saw me as more than that, perhaps you would have known better.”