Near had been playing with his dolls. The Ravenclaws were more or less used to eccentric people, so they weren't overly concerned about his behaviour, which the other houses might have considered childish. However, that didn't stop many from wondering why he did so. Perhaps it was a nervous tic or a coping mechanism for something.

His general aloofness mostly shunned people away from him. He, didn't reject anyone's advances of friendship, they just didn't make any. He was an oddity and that's all he was. Some of the other houses had mocked him for being girly and childish, but he hadn't paid any attention to them. It seemed as if he was trapped in his own little world, away and above from everyone else.

He looked rather lonely, hunched over a book, two dolls moving in his hand, as if making conversation with each other as he studied. He had no real interest in academics, but he studied, just because he was bored and had nothing else to do.

Mello and Matt's Petrification essentially made the people who would talk to him zero, but he wasn't too bothered. The numb he felt didn't allow any emotions such as horror and sadness to permeate through, and he, in the moments he actually paused to contemplate, wondered what lay beyond that.

Sighing as he finished the homework assigned to him, and the course material for the entire year, he got up. They weren't allowed to move about alone in the hallways but no one paid him any real attention. The only time he earned any attention was when the teacher's made astonished sounds at him having scored full marks in everything.

He slipped out of the Common Room and was immediately bombarded by the chill of the hallways. Drawing his cloak closer around him, he roamed about, rather aimlessly. He had put a Disillusionment Charm on himself along with a Soundproof charm, so he wouldn't be in any immediate danger.

However, he had a feeling that it would be over soon and today. Something in L's tone had assured him of the fact. He yawned. It was too boring. He didn't have any puzzles to solve anymore, L had beaten him again.

He let his feet lead him.

In retrospect, that wasn't the best decision, because he nearly slammed into a bloodsoaked Light Yagami.

Good thing that he had the sense to spring back to avoid the collision.

Light's head snapped up towards him.

He looked awful. His eyes were puffed up and red, and dried tear tracks on his cheeks further proved the fact that he was crying. The blood on his robes wasn't his, so much of blood would have made any person faint.

Aha.

"So, I assume that L has somehow contracted a severe injury, no thanks to you and is currently in the Hospital Wing?" Near asked, sounding slightly amused when Light's eyes widened in horror. It was a fleeting moment, before it dissolved into the toneless medium he had come to adopt.

"Wait—, you know what, screw it. Yes. He played martyr and jumped in front of the Basilisk to destroy Tom Riddle and that diary."

His voice was moody, he sounded ticked off.

Near, for the life of him, couldn't figure out what had led L to do such a reckless act.

"And he did all that of his own volition?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, that idiot did it of his own volition, no one asked him to do it," Light snapped.

Near left aside the fact that he had just called the world's greatest detective an idiot, and instead concentrated on why he had done so, when there were clearly many other options available.

"I see, and I assume that you are running away from duty?" he asked, already contemplating a visit to the Hospital Wing.

Light looked incensed.

"Excuse me? I need a change of robes, I cannot slop around in this manner. And definitely not go to the Slytherin Dormitory either."

Near snickered, and then smirked.

"Sure, Prefect Light Yagami."

"I could take points off you for roaming in the corridors unsupervised, you know."

"I am perfectly aware of that. However, considering that the threat had been dealt with, I am sure that the rule has been declared null and void."

Light looked up once, as if praying for patience. Near looked like a grinning Cheshire Cat at that moment. Annoying people was fun.

Deciding that further conversations would lead to a brawl with his compromised emotional state, Light said nothing and brushed past Near to the Room Of Requirements.

Near shrugged and turned towards the Hospital Wing. He would probably see Matt and Mello there too. Thinking that made him pause, as he remembered how they had looked when he had found them. He shivered slightly. The draught was cold.

He had stolen out of the Common Rooms at dawn, and had been walking in the corridors. He wouldn't have noticed Matt if he hadn't almost tripped over him.

Matt's eyes were open in utter shock and his mouth was agape in a silent scream, that had never been heard. A small mirror lay beside him. He couldn't deny the horror that it made him feel, staring into those eyes, which had been a company to Mello's mocks. Granted, Near was somewhat responsible for taunting him, but he really didn't get why Mello would get annoyed so quickly, until upon remembering the arguments, he had realised that perhaps he didn't exactly talk in the conventional way, or that his behaviors weren't that normal. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why it was so, but no one told him anything, so he went about the way he did, a bit bewildered, but nevertheless all the same.

He had found Mello near the washrooms. Mello had been gripping a note in one hand and water had pooled around the unfortunate person, soaking Near's robes. For sometime he had just stood there, a fleeting thought crossing his mind as to what would happen if he had died instead of simply being Petrified. He had pushed that back. He didn't want to think of it. He wasn't really interested in having another person he knew die so soon.

The note in his hand had just a single letter.

"B."

However that told Near all he needed to know and he had withdrawn and let L have his free reign.

The doors of the Hospital Wing slowly swung open, admitting the albino teen inside.

Dumbledore had just finished interrogating Misa, who was sipping a mug of hot chocolate. Light missed it. Poor him.

Mello and Matt lay in the same position as before, and Near felt like those eyes were boring holes in him, speaking silent jabs. He brushed that feeling off and went to Dumbledore, hoping that he would get an explanation from the old wizard. Misa's robes weren't soaked that much, which led him to come to an interesting observation. He filed that away.

Dumbledore went into genial grandpa mode when he saw Near. Near bit the back of his lip in irritation.

"Near, my boy."

"I am NOT your boy, Headmaster," Near corrected him.

Dumbledore looked like a kicked puppy at the statement but continued anyways, "I think it would be better if you just waited for him to wake up, Near, get first hand evidence and all that. He would be waking up sometime later, so—"

"I will wait," Near said without hesitation.

Dumbledore smiled and swept away, taking the other teachers with him. Near sat down beside Misa, silent.

He took out two finger puppets to play with to pass the time.

Misa looked at it in curiousity, finishing her cup.

Near didn't care, he had had enough of strange stares for his strange habits.

"So, like, I assume that Ryuga is someone who is very close to you?" Misa began, trying an attempt at conversation.

Near nodded, not interested to talk.

Misa tried another tactic,

"So, like, do the dolls have any names?"

Near looked up at her. She looked genuinely interested. Well, it wouldn't hurt, he mused, so he spoke,

"Yeah, this one with white hair is called Noah, and the one wearing a black suit is Matthew, and this one with black hair is called Lister"

He went back to it, convinced that Misa would give up talking to him. However, unfortunately for him, Misa found him quite an interesting person to converse with and wasn't giving up anytime soon.

"So, like, what are they doing?"

"A murder has been committed. Noah and Lister are on a race to figure out who has done it, while Matthew keeps annoying the both of them."

"So, who's the murderer?" Misa asked, trying not to be overly concerned about a kid enacting a murder mystery with dolls.

"That's what Lister and Noah have to figure out," Near said, taking out a fourth doll.

"If you don't mind, can I play with you? It has been ages since I saw dolls," Misa said, now actually interested.

Near gave her a blank look and slowly nodded. Never in his experience had someone made such a request and he was having difficulty in processing it.

He took out a fifth doll.

"Name your character and role."

Misa grinned.