Help Wanted (Mi)

[Near]

Alone.

Dimmed lights, technology, the works. This was the setup from which the prodigy Near generally worked. And, of course, this was the setup from which he currently operated. With a blank puzzle in front of him, he sat, laid out in his typical manner, on the floor. The puzzle was not hard, in his eyes. He found it rather sad that most people couldn't finish one of these, let alone enjoy it. He curled his hair, on his finger. Which piece? Ah, of course, that would be it.

After another few minutes, the puzzle was finished. He set it aside. Time for work. He grabbed a phone from his right side. The phone was set up, much like any other detective's was. The voice that it generated was synthetic, yet matched his syllables perfectly.

He cast aside the card which the number was printed on. He had memorized it nearly the moment he had seen it. As the phone rang, he thought of his first few words. It didn't really matter, the message would be clear enough, no matter what he said.

As a girl answered the phone, he spoke up. "Who am I speaking to?" He questioned, not bothering to introduce himself just yet.

[Mi]

Mi pushed away from her laptop, shutting it down and closing it. He brother wasn't home yet, as was normal. She stared blankly at the shinigami standing by her side. He stared unmovingly back at her. "I am really, really bored Tsu." She tossed her head back and let out an exasperated sigh. A dull ringing came from down stairs, it would naturally be one of Kyo's clients. Mi never got any calls, simply because she had no friends. She walked slowly to the door and down the hall towards the stairway.

Sliding down the banister with ease she gracefully landed on the floor. She reached over carefully and grabbed the delicate phone from it's hook. "This is Mira Brock, my brother Kyouta isn't here right now, can I tak a message?" She grabbed a pen and paper as she always did when she answered the phone. The names she had given were, of course, both fake. They were the names she and her brother had gone by since they moved to Japan, Mira and Kyota. Though they had always used the name Brock, even if it wasn't technically their true last name. Her mother had had a Death Note and was cautious about such things, but only recently had she learned this. Brock was their mothers maiden name and Mira was her first name, something Mi had planned out very carefully. Not only were both she and her mother born in Leamington Spa, England but they looked remarkably alike, making it very hard for someone to prove she wasn't the real Mira Brock.

Of course her brother knew about this, so did her Aunt and Uncle. If her Aunt and Uncle were still alive. It seems car crashes were just a curse in her family. Though it had absolutely nothing to do with Mi's Death Note, well, the death of her parents didn't.

[Near]

Near twirled his hair, as he spoke. His voice was synthetic, making him most likely seem suspicious. "Really? Because I was certain I was looking for a girl named Mira, rather than a man named Kyouta. Of course, perhaps you know who I am looking for better than I am." His voice was quite monotonous, nothing to distinguish what he was thinking, or his hidden meaning. However, it was quite obvious that he elevated his position above that of Mi, though one could not determine that based on what he said.

"My name is Near. I had been looking for you, Mira, because I require assistance with a case. To be precise, it has to do with the Kira case, which I am sure you've heard of." He began working on yet another puzzle. with one hand, as he stopped twirling his hair. "You can respond with an affirmative, or a negative, I don't care either way, frankly. But the fact is, I've heard of your family from my time in England. And I'd like to evaluate your talents, as a possible member of my team."

This was all said quite business like, very frank. Near was not one to beat around the bush, not even to make the right impression. However, Near was quite good at making offers. There was always more upside to downside. If she accepted, she would find out what his plans were, and work on the Kira case. And if she declined, she was simply left off the way she was. He had given her an out. Now, would she exercise that option?

[Mi]

The phone shook in her hands. Was it the cops? No, whoever it was said they were with the Kira Investigation, but could she trust that? Whoever this person was she's have better luck figuring out a course of action if she met them. They had her number which means they might have her adress, she couldn't risk it, it might endanger Kyo. She let out a small sigh. "I still don't know if I can trust you. I'm a sixteen year old girl alone in my house most of the time, for all I know you could be a stalker that picked up my name on the street somewhere. I should call the cops...but I won't." She bit her lip.

She didn't want to and she knew it wasn't smart, of course she'd be armed, she always was. She nodded, even though the only person who could see her was Tsu. "Alright, I'll meet with you. I'm free most of the time so timing doesn't matter." She tapped her fingers on the table. "But why me? My brother graduated from college and he's a lawyer? I'm not even out of high school yet! Certainly you could've found someone better!"

Tsu put a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you making the right choice? I mean, it's dangerous..." He was worried. This person shouldn't just be calling her, asking for assitance. Though both he and Mi knew that she was the obvious choice over her brother, but how could she help? He didn't want her getting into anything dangerous.

[Near]

Near sighed. "Your brother is a lawyer. He deals with putting criminals away. There's no point for me to deal with a lawyer when we haven't found Kira yet. Your path has yet to be decided, which is exactly why I wanted to contact you." He put the next piece into the puzzle, working horizontally, left to right, as if he were reading the puzzle.

"As for timing, I've already arranged for myself to come over your place. Now that I'm in Japan, movement won't be hard. Though I don't wish to barge in, your brother is out, which makes this the preferred time." Down to business, just like last time. He didn't deal in pleasantries, he simply stated facts, and made plans. The quickest and best course of action would be to meet as soon as possible.

"As for myself being a stalker, you can call the police, if you'd like. It won't be of any help. After all, I'm well known to the police, and any other government organization, for that matter. Since we're meeting, it won't be awful for me to let this slip. You say you're only 16, and not even out of high school? I'm just 13, and I've never been to this 'high school'. I doubt you have a case when it comes to stalking..."

[Mi]

Mi raised her eyebrows. She had always said 'not out of high school' just to lead people on she wasn't as smart as she was. Truthfully if she had excepted that scholarship oh so many years ago she'd be getting out of college soon. "Okie then. Stalking and invading of the home, you're one weird kid Near." She looked over at the worried Shinigami. She didn't want to cause him to much stress, Tsu didn't deal well under stress. He was wrining his feathery fingers and pacing all around the kitchen, his green earing glittering in the light made by the ceiling lamp.

"So when will you be coming?" She pulled a chair out from the table and sat down, taping the pen that was still in her hand. She wanted to be ready fro anything, though she was always ready for anything, the Death Note wasn't the only illegal thing she owned. She was fretting, he claim to be thirteen but that happened a lot. If she made one wrong move she could be dead.

Tsu was reading her mind, she was stressed. "Mi...you don't have to...I just don't want anything to happen to you." She looked up at him, giving him a compassionate 'I know' look. They both knew she wouldn't change her mind. She was just one of those people who when their mind was set there was no changing it.

[Near]

"You'll know when I come. Be prepared."

With that, he hung up the phone, and finished his puzzle, almost at the same time. Pressing a button on the desk in front of him, a voice rang in. "Yes, what is it Near?" Questioned the disembodied voice of a woman.

"I'll need transportation. The address I told you about earlier. Ready the van as soon as possible." He responded. The woman responded in the affirmative, and the comm was shut down. He was looking forward to this, though he had not shown his face in quite a while. He didn't like those black police masks. He needed something he could use. Something that would give him features, but protect his face. He glanced at his L mask, and smiled. He hadn't spent much time talking to L, and none meeting him. However, he would use L's face to protect his, for now. He grabbed the mask, along with a deck of Tarot Cards, and a stack of puzzles, and exited the room...

[Mi]

The loud buzzing of the phone hit her ear. "What! He hung up!" She slammed the phone down on it's hook. "Well that's wasn't very nice..." She hopped up onto the island on the kitchen, grabbing an orange from a basket and peeling the skin of with her teeth before spitting it into the trash. "Now we wait."

Tsu sat next to her. "You can't trust kids. They have no manners." He ate a few lemon drops.

"Well neither do you," She bit into the orange.

"That's not fair Mi."

Now she just had to wait for this Near to come barging in her front door, at least she hoped he'd come in the front door, anything else would be weird.

[Near]

**One Hour Later**

A white, unmarked van pulled up in front of the Brock household, accompanied by several black cruisers. From the van, two men in suits emerged, accompanied by a figure, dressed entirely in white. In his arms, the figure held a variety of objects.

And he wore a mask.

Near, the prodigy, had arrived. The man on his left took a step up, and knocked on the door, ignoring the bell. Bells were often faulty, and electricity wasn't something to mess with. Near awaited an answer.

He prepared himself for the reaction to his mask, his height, the sound of his voice, et cetera. She would think the mask odd, would probably be surprised he was actually this young, and would think him rude. He had no problem with this. He wasn't about to let some bratty 16 year old run what he did...

[Mi]

Tsu looked through the peep hole. "Mi! They're here!" He danced around the kitchen. She untied the apron and fixed her messy hair. "Working with chemicals is bad for your health." He shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Yeah, I know." She ran towards the door and opened it. There stood a few people, a few men and a boy in a mask. "You must be Near." The mask didn't surprise her, it was a smart move. He most likely knew Kira needed a name and a face to kill and by not showing his face he was safe from that kind of death. She opened the door wider and gestured them in. "Come in, please."

Tsu hung his legs over the island. The people looked menacing, he just hoped she'd be ok, be able to handle it. The house was fairly plain. There was a large kitchen with an island in the center. A table with a cloth and two chairs, a hallway led down to a few rooms, one of which was her brother bedroom. There was a spiral staircase which led to the upstairs where Mi's room was and the guest room. It was quite bland. Except for the photos and awards littering the walls and the counters.

[Near]

Near walked in, his L mask firmly in place. "I told you you'd know..." He commented, planting himself on one of the stools. "Gevanni, Rester. Make yourselves at home." He commanded, as they took place in the living room. "No snacks." He commented. "I had hoped that would be included when I said 'Be prepared.'"

He laid his things out on the table. Tarot cards, and puzzles. He grabbed the top puzzle, and began arranging the pieces. "Please, sit..." He said, gesturing, as if this were his home, and not Mi's. "I'm interested in your skills. Help yourself to a puzzle, if you want..."

He put his head down, turning his puzzle over to release the pieces, and rearranging them. Then, twirling his hair with one hand, he used the other to pick up pieces, and align them. "Before we begin, do ya have any questions?" He asked, still twirling his hair in the usual manner...

[Mi]

Mi was a bit taken aback. This boy truely had no manners, though she obeyed when she was ordered to sit in her own home. "Well...not really. I'm glad to hear you're interested in my skills but what exactly do you need them for? Though I'd be glad to help." She looked at him. The boy was certainly amusing, if nothing else. He was one to take comand, just like her, except she didn't feel like being herself, the henchmen were worrysome. Tsu sat down next to her.

"But besides that, there have got to be people out there that are better then me. For example, Bill Gates is one," She leaned back and folded one of her legs over the other. "I can't be the best for the job so why me?" It was puzzling. There could be many reasons, she just couldn't think why they would choose her when, if they were who they said they were, could definitely get someone better.

[Near]

Near smiled under his mask. "So, with that statement, you've told me half of what I wanted to know. You work with computers." He shook his head. "Really, you should be more careful with information. You can't have been sure I knew what you did because, obviously, until now, I did not know what your skills were like. However, I'd heard genius and talent of some sort ran in the family. Also, considering the success of your brother, I was interested in what you could do. Thanks for sharing." He added that bit at the end, apparently to be polite, but he didn't come off as that.

"As for the second thing I wanted to know, that would be exactly how good you are at that particular thing. Tell me, how good of a hacker are you? Because, obviously, if you work with computers, and have an idea of what we want from you, you're a hacker. What else could a boy such as me want, with such large bodyguards? To buy computer software? I don't need an update on my browser, I simply need a hacker."

He had cut holes in the eyes of his mask. That way, he could work on puzzles. Otherwise, he would need no holes of any sort. He paused for a moment, his hand dawdling over the pieces. Which piece? He gazed at them for a moment, before deciding. Perfect, that one. Normally, he didn't have these problems. But then, normally, he wasn't planning out the scenario by which he would recruit this girl, either...

[Mi]

Mi blinked a few times. "Glad I could help?" This boy was turning out to be more and more interesting. "As for hacking, I could do that with my eyes closed. Easy as pi, like pi not pie. As in 3.14159265358979323846264, but you get it." She wondered what odd people would need with a hacker. It was black market stuff they were dealing with and if these people were with the government...Mi could be in a lot of trouble. A LOT of trouble. If they found the virus data on her laptop, that was a one way ticket to jail.

Still, if it helped get rid of Kira in some way, then she would help, even if it did get thrown in jail. Tsu was humming happily to himself next to her, it annoyed her but the others, of course, couldn't hear it.

[Near]

Near looked up. "I suppose you think you're impressive. Pi. 3.141592653589793238462643383. I win by 4 digits." He looked back down at the puzzle, continuing. Of course he knew pi. He knew far more digits than that. Wammy's House had taught them advanced mathematics, and, in his struggle to be the best, he memorized it long ago.

"So, that's the best you can do? You can recite digits? Kind of a disappointment..." He commented, sighing. "But there's gotta be more, of course. Some things you aren't showing me. No idiot tips their entire hand this early. So, go ahead. Thrill me."

He put aside his puzzle, finished with it. He then took his Tarot Cards, and began constructing a bit of a tower on the table at which he was sitting. He'd rather sit on the floor, of course, but it was common courtesy to sit at a table, when a chair is provided. So, he'd make due with what he had...