Phew! Final chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed the story, it was a blast to write. Thanks to all who reviewed (and will review), I really appreciated (and will appreciate) it! Special thanks to HerLittleDoll for helping me edit some of it too.

Chapter 14

B looked at Near and couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face, despite the pain he was feeling and the rage he should be feeling. He chuckled slightly. I am insane, I am purely mad... I should be angry as hellfire at him but… I feel… euphoric. He gasped as another wave of pain went through his leg. "Since… agh… since when did you know? And why didn't you just kill me?" One hand was clutched to his shoulder, the other to his leg, just below the knee. I think he broke both bones. He moved his good leg to the side then gently slid the injured one after it so he was laying on his side, on his good shoulder.

"I suspected ever since I heard about your PI career in America, and I knew for sure after I heard about the interrogation. I didn't kill you because I'm not a killer. Too bad you can't say the same, Beyond." Near gazed at Beyond. Well, not quite at him, more like through him. "Why, Beyond? Why did you kill those three innocent people?"

"I wanted to defeat…"

"I know that!" Near yelled, and B was shocked to see tears shining in his eyes. Near is crying?! Near never cries! Did this affect him that much? I know we were friends but…

"What I want to know is this: why did you go to such lengths to assert dominance over him? Why couldn't you just be content as a backup?"

B grunted and adjusted himself to where he was being supported by an extended arm so he could look Near in the eye. "You know, I always tried to convince myself that it was L I hated, but now that I really think about it…" his voice trailed off. "I think… I think it was always myself that I hated. I think that I knew that I would never be as good as L, so I dedicated myself fully to the task so fully that I began believing that I truly was better than L, so fully that I began to think he was holding me back and it wasn't that I wasn't as good as him. Now here, at the end, I finally acknowledge that simple truth… Does it really matter in the long run, though? I might as well be dead…" He groaned as another wave of pain came from his wounds. "Near, if I asked you to, would you kill me?"

Near had ceased crying and was back to his calm, emotionless self. "No."

"Well, could you at least do me the courtesy of answering some questions for me?"

"Of course."

"How did you figure out it was me?"

"At first, it was more instinct than actual evidence. When I heard about an amazingly talented and successful PI in LA, around where you were put in asylum, I thought that it just might be you. Also, the way you solved cases reminded me of the phsyc profile that I had built of you during our time together at Wammy's House. When I heard that you moved to Japan, I came up with a few theories. One, this suspicious person isn't really Beyond Birthday and I'm just being paranoid. Two, you are Beyond Birthday and the reason you were a PI in America was so that you could build up a résumé and then come to Japan to join the Japanese Police Force in hopes to join the SPK so that you could get closer to L. I read about the LABB Murder Cases, so I figured that after that little episode you'd probably want to kill L instead of just defeat him. Thus, you'd probably want to get closer to him and I figured that you would figure that the SPK was the best way to go. Three, you were Beyond Birthday but you had lost your memories."

B groaned slightly. "Why would you think that?"

"I had to consider every option. Many drugs that create heart attack like symptoms…"

B nodded slightly. So, Near had even managed to figure out how he'd escaped from asylum.

"…induce memory loss, and I had to consider that maybe you'd lost your memories. If so, I decided I would drop all charges you had as Beyond Birthday and consider you a new person. Not only because I thought it was a just thing to do, but because of personal bias, I confess. If possible I would I have liked to keep you out of prison."

"Isn't that… mmph… sweet? Near actually cares for someone?"

"Yes. Astonishing, I know." A wry smile made its way to Near's face. B… oh Beyond, why couldn't you have just been content like the rest of us? "When you came to Japan, I realized that my second theory was probably right, but I couldn't rule out any of the other theories yet. In fact, I couldn't be sure until today, when you revealed your true intentions and thoughts. Back to the main point, when I heard about your… extreme… interrogation, I knew that it was certainly you. I still couldn't rule out the possibility that you had indeed lost your memories while some of your sadistic nature remained, but I knew it was you. So I decided to help you along with the plan I supposed you were trying to advance. I allowed you to come into the SPK and allowed you to overhear that I was L."

"How would you even have known that I would have stayed and listened?"

"I'll admit, I didn't expect you to eavesdrop the very first time. I planned to have a similar speech after every time we met, hoping that sooner or later your insatiable curiosity would lead you to trying to hear pieces of information through the door. I thought that you might wait until your hunt for L came to a standstill, but I overestimated your patience. Then I figured you would request a private meeting with me and would try to kill me somehow. I'll admit, I had no idea how you would attempt to do it." Near reached over towards B's dart gun contraption and studied briefly. "Intriguing device. You made this yourself." It wasn't a question.

"So... you basically knew what I was going to do even before I did…" B grinned at Near and tilted his head. Everything seemed fuzzy, and the pain in his leg and shoulder had dulled considerably. He knew this was a bad sign. He was about to pass out. "Near, I underestimated you… severely."

Near was silent as he gazed into B's eyes. They were… deep. They reflected anger, regret, angst, contentment, even happiness. Who was Beyond, truly? Was he a crazed serial killer? Was he L's doppelganger? Was he wholly evil? Did he have any sense of justice whatsoever? How and when had he changed from the quiet boy who used to always help Near with his homework and his school projects to a demented lunatic who was only interested in blood? He didn't voice any of these questions, but just kept staring until he was swallowed up by the hypnotic nature of those eyes.

"Finished staring yet?" B asked impassively. He felt… nothing. No emotions, no pain… he felt like a shell that had been abandoned by its soul long ago. Is this what death feels like? He rolled onto his back and let himself slip into the soft embrace of unconsciousness…

Blake Holders, otherwise known as Beyond Birthday, has been apprehended after his many long years of hiding. After his attempt to assassinate the head of the SPK, N, Blake was convicted to a life in prison. Life at the SPK resumed as normal, the incident all but forgotten by most. To the majority, it was just another incident to be dealt with and cast aside, condemned to simply be another successful case.

The feel of it was cold and smooth. The top of its head reflected light, and it's red eyes glowed eerily whenever they were illuminated. Near's finger stroked the top delicately, then he set it down off to the side so he could resumed looking over a certain file.

The small figure with black hair, a white shirt and red eyes stood there, melancholy with the other three figures. One was tall, blonde, cocky-looking, dressed in leather. The other had reddish hair, goggles, shy-looking pose, holding a small, handheld gaming device. The final figure was sitting, dressed in all white, shaggy white hair framing a young, innocent face. As Near glanced back at the figures, he cried silently, yearning for the past.