Fifteen Seconds

This is a little different from the other "Fifteen" stories. The events, and Lidner's thoughts, surrounding Near's suicide. This is another piece of the "Fifteen" web, set during the events of "Fifteen Days". Please enjoy.

The guilt, of coarse, started with Mello's death... But Near's final hours made it real.

I don't own Death Note.

"Lidner, I'm going to the roof." Near's eyes were red from the tears that just hadn't stopped and his normally pale skin looked almost translucent. She remembered thinking that some fresh air might do him good.

For Lidner, Near's suicide wasn't a surprise, but the fifteen seconds it took her to realize was fifteen seconds too long. Guilt flooded her mind as she tried to catch up. She should have realized. She could have stopped him. Why hadn't she paid more attention? Near didn't have to die. The world still needed him; his team still needed him. It wasn't fair. He was too young... She made it to the roof in time to watch him fall, but she still called out to him in some desperate attempt to make this not be happening.

Near looked so serene, like he could see heaven. Even as his frail body broke, a small smile curled his lips. Fifteen stories up, she knew whose name he whispered, and for a split second, she'd have sworn she saw Mello cradle him as his life slipped away.

Sorry it was short. Thank you to everyone who reviewed "Fifteen Days" and "Fifteen Minutes".