Yeah. Alternate ending...-type thing. I wrote this at 10:30 on a Monday night back in February... a school night... the idea sort of grabbed me and said WRITE ME OR YOU WILL NOT GET ANY SLEEP TONIGHT, so... I wrote it. It turned out to be a very good thing that I did, but that's a different story.

This can be read any time after the beginning of the second arc... that's how unconnected to the real ending it is. This was written for emotion and intensity rather than plot... if that makes sense...

Disclaimer: ...If I owned Death Note, this wouldn't be an alternate ending, now would it?

Selfish

Mello and Near were listening to his testimony.

It had been three months since Light Yagami had been proven to be the serial killer of criminals—Kira—and the evidence had since been verified by the proper authorities. Those that would still agree to try him, anyway.

Kira was in a separate room, sitting calm and dignified at a table despite the fact that his arms and legs were bound and his eyes completely blindfolded. They'd been that way since his arrest. This was not something one could take chances on.

Mello and Near were listening from the adjacent room. There was a large window along the connected wall and a loudspeaker transmitting Kira's words.

They listened in silence.

Mello had long since given up on trying to sit still; he paced the small room restlessly, every now and then glancing either through the window or towards the loudspeaker. Near, on the other hand, was still seated in his usual fashion, staring intently at the wall just below the window and fixedly twirling a strand of hair around his finger.

Ironic how the criminal seemed so much calmer than the two detectives.

Kira had been talking for hours already. He willingly displayed emotion—disgust, frustration, arrogance, triumph—as he related his actions and had even laughed once or twice. His laugh was cold and mocking, as if he didn't realize that he had been captured and wasn't invincible after all.

He was almost to the part when he and L had caught Higuchi. A smug tone crept into his voice; after all, this was when he had not only become Kira again, but had also been labeled perfectly innocent, all according to his plan. Near pressed his lips together in a frown as he listened, and Mello paused for a moment at the window, stroking the glass thoughtfully with his forefinger.

Then Mello stepped backwards, pulled out his gun, and pointed it straight at Kira.

Immediately Near was on his feet and behind Mello. He forced Mello's arm down to his side and wrapped his own arms around Mello's body, holding Mello's arms in place. "Don't, Mello," Near instructed firmly. "We can't. We can't do that."

"Like hell we can't!" Mello snarled, twisting against Near's surprisingly strong grip. "Let go of me, Near! Get off!"

"No."

Seeing that that wasn't going to work, Mello quieted for a second. "You know, Near—" He bent his arm upwards at the elbow, below Near's grip, and the gun was once again pointing at Kira. "—I could still shoot like this."

"Don't," came the repeated command, infuriating. Mello grimaced, and the combination of taut muscles with his scarred face gave him a feral look.

"It isn't our place," Near continued, his voice quiet. "We trapped him. We proved to the world who he is. His punishment is not up to us."

In the other room, Kira continued to speak. Mello had to hurry. "I'll say it one more time, Near," he growled. "Let me go." He tried again to twist out of Near's arms.

"No," Near repeated.

An inhuman snarl ripped from Mello's throat. "DAMMIT, NEAR, I JUST WANT REVENGE!" Finally he managed to break Near's grasp.

But Near quickly caught his wrist and forced Mello to face him. "Do you think I don't?" he whispered.

Mello almost shivered as Near caught his eyes. He had never seen Near look like this before; cold, black, barely-contained loathing for Kira radiated from the white-haired boy's expression.

"Mello, I want to wrap my hands around his throat and feel him struggle for breath as I strangle his life out of him. I want to rip out his eyes and stab him a thousand times, all over his body, but in places so insignificant that it will take hours for him to bleed to death, suffering all the while." Near emphasized every word, his eyes intent, and the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch upwards as if he enjoyed imagining such a thing.

There was silence for a few moments in that room. Kira continued to speak.

"But that's not our place," Near whispered finally. He released Mello's wrist and returned to his seat. In a few moments, Mello sat down as well.

Kira's voice was the only sound in the room, and now that voice was filled with demonic glee. He was about to tell of his greatest triumph.

Mello covered his face with a hand. "Near…" he pleaded. Did his voice shake? "I don't want to hear this…"

Near was silent. L's two heirs sat there, together, listening to Kira's testimony and trembling.

Um... yeah. Review please?