The Contradiction

Summary: AU in which L brings in fifteen year old Wammy kids, Near, Mello, Matt and Linda to help with the Kira case. "You're putting children on the task force?" "If Kira wants a fight, then a fight I shall give." L replied with a rare smile.

Okay, so this is set around when a second Kira is suspected and L had first asked Light to join the task force. Obviously, in this AU, L has already met Near, Matt, Mello and Linda, but never face to face. I just thought it'd be fun to see L working with the kids of Wammy's house. I had to change the ages a little bit, but I hope it's not too weird.

Reviews are welcome :D

L sat in his comfortable little chair, biting on his nail as he stared out of the window, overlooking the towering skyscrapers and bustling streets of Japan. If Light were Kira, then he should already know why I brought him into the Japanese task force…to keep an eye on him whilst he's under suspicion. Keeping him close by will make it easier to determine whether he is Kira or not...but…it's risky. Who knows? If Light IS Kira, he may be able to gain the same powers as the second Kira…which means he'd be able to kill me…and then it'd be all over. To be honest, I would have thought I'd solve the case by now…perhaps I'm just having a bad year.

If Light Yagami is Kira, then that could put me (and all of the task force members) in a vulnerable position. What if Light wanted to get close to me, so that he could kill me? Well…either way, this is a tough move to make…perhaps it's time I took a few drastic actions…yes…I supposed it couldn't hurt to try.

"Watari," L called to the man across the room. Watari placed his newspaper down on the counter to look over at L, "get Wammy's house on the phone for me…please."

"Wammy's house? What business do you have there? Shouldn't you be directing your focus onto the Kira case?" Watari questioned curiously.

"I have plenty of business there…now listen closely to my instructions. I want you to go to Wammy's house and I want you to bring back four children...well, I say children, but I really mean young adults…I shall have these four as my new accomplices in the Kira investigation." Watari raised his eyebrows as L walked from the chair he sat from, towards the balcony window.

"Ryuzaki…why do you wish to bring these them into the investigation? The thought had never crossed your mind before. Why now?"

L hummed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Have you ever heard that saying, two minds are better than one? These children are some of the greatest young minds this world has ever known. I couldn't possibly pass off an opportunity such as this. Don't worry, they won't come under any danger…and even if they do, we'll be there to protect them."

"Yes…but you do understand, if the children refuse to come to Japan, I will not force them."

"Of course. If the children wish to help me in this case, they must first prove their dedication to catching Kira. Of course, I will put their intelligence to the test once they arrive in Japan, but until then, make sure they are well and fit to fly over as soon as possible."

This is just what I…what Kira needs

"Hey, Ryuzaki, where's Watari? Shouldn't he be here to help us?" Matsuda asked, taking a seat around the table, along with the rest of the Task Force members.

L rubbed his feet together as he spoke, "I'm afraid Watari will not be joining us for at least the next three days. He's gone on a trip to Winchester to locate our new members."

"Wait, we're bringing in more men for the investigation? Why?" Soichiro questioned, wide-eyed. Light looked surprised...but he had figured L might do something like this.

"Yes. With two Kira's on the loose, we can't afford to have any gaps in our system. I'm bringing in four new associates to help bring Kira to justice." L explained. Light had to stop himself from laughing. Oh, Ryuzaki, do you really think that bringing in four men is going to help you? "Not only will these men be helping with the investigation, but they will also be training to take fulltime position in the Task force…that is, if they choose to."

"Ryuzaki," Light began, "I don't mean to sound rude, but won't bringing in more people to help with the investigation risk getting caught? The more people we have, the easier it is for Kira to track us."

"No. That's impossible since I am the only one who knows these men's true names. They will not be revealing them to any of you. Just a heads up, they probably aren't going to put as much trust in you as I have. They've never worked with a police investigation unit before, so go easy on them."

Light raised an eyebrow. These guys sound a little inexperienced…why would Ryuzaki bring someone like that into the Kira investigation? He's up to something…

"B-but, Mr Wammy, this is so sudden. You can't expect me to just let you take the-"

"I don't expect you to do anything. If they wish to work with L, they may accompany me back to Japan. If they do not, I will say no more."

Click, click, click, click. Finished.

Near stared at the blank finished puzzle that lay on the floor, his left knee tucked into his chest whilst he sat on top of his other leg in a rather relaxed position. Every little piece of the puzzle has its own place on the bored…every clue will soon lead to another…every move I make brings me one step closer to the finished puzzle…how interesting.

Near stared out of the window, watching as the kids played a game of soccer, kicking the ball around the soggy grass-patch. Strange…everyone seems so happy today. I wonder if something good's heading MY way. I wonder…it might just make my day a little more interesting.

At that moment, Roger knocked on Near's room door with the back of his knuckles. Near turned his head to see the elderly man standing in the doorway, a look of mixed emotions plastered on his face. "Near. There's a man who wishes to speak with you. Please, follow me."

"Who is he?" Near asked.

"…A friend of L's." Near picked up a loose puzzle piece from the finished canvas and shoved it into his pocket.

"Alright, I'll speak with him." Near said, twirling a loose strand of hair with his index finger. "What does he want?" Roger didn't reply. He simply walked out of the room and gestured for Near to follow. He slowly did so.

Once they arrived in Roger's office, the first thing he noticed was the tall stranger in a large brown coat with a hat covering his face. He stood behind Roger's desk, his hands in his pockets. The second things he noticed were Mello, Matt and Linda. The three of them were spread about the room. Mello stood by Roger's desk, a bar of chocolate in his hand. Matt sat on the floor with his back to the wall. He held his DS in his hands as he vigorously tapped away on the small keys. Linda gave Near a little wave and smiled as he entered the room.

That was when the stranger spoke. "My name is Watari, and as you may or may not know, I work under L."

"Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be helping with the Kira investigation? I thought that was your job." Mello sniggered a little cynically.

"Mello!" Roger scowled.

"No, it's fine. The boy has a right to think that way…but as we speak, I am in fact helping L on the Kira investigation." Near studied the man as he twirled his hair. Why would L send Watari to Wammy's? It's not like Kira has any connection with L's possible successors.

"I'm here because L wants to bring you four into the Kira investigation." That was when Near heard Matt's thumbs stop tapping. "I know it's sudden, but L wants more minds to help with the investigation. He was hoping he'd get the opportunity to work with you four. If you choose to accept this offer, then we'll be leaving for Japan in less than forty-eight hours…if you choose to turn down this offer, then I will leave you be. You will never have to see me again."

"L wants us?" Linda asked with a look of genuine surprise. "But, we're not even trained detectives."

"It makes no difference." Near said. The room went silent. "Detective or not, L has decided that we have the intelligence to work out this case…or at least, accompany him to do so. It has nothing to do with whether we've studied the law or not."

"…If we work with L, does that mean we'll see his face? Isn't that kinda'…stupid?" Matt asked, removing his strange goggles from his eyes and hanging them around his neck.

"L trusts all of you. He knows that you four know the difference between evil and justice. He's willing to risk his life for that." Watari said, bowing his head.

Mello smirked. "Alright, where do I sign?"

"Wait, you're going?" Linda asked.

"Of course I am. I don't know about you, but there's no way in hell I'm turning down an offer like this. We're going to meet the detective that solved some of the greatest crimes this world has ever known. He wants US to work with HIM to catch KIRA. How could you turn that down?"

"Mello's right..." Near spoke slowly. Mello raised an eyebrow, which resulted in him rolling his eyes. Near hummed. "It's rather unlikely that L would ask us to join him unless he was serious about this…I want to catch Kira. I want to find justice for the world. I'm going."

"I guess it could be pretty fun, working with THE REAL L!" Linda exclaimed. "Come on Matt, let's do it! You've got nothing better to do anyway."

Matt chuckled under his breath. "Fine, I'll go, but I'm not going to be much help."

Watari pulled out his phone as the others ran off to pack a bag. "Ryuzaki, this is Watari. They've all accepted your request...yes…of course…I'll be there soon."

To be continued (hopefully soon)