It occurred to (Y/n) that coming out to Winchester, UK, was proving to be more of a vacation than the one she technically already had been on when she had gone to Japan as instructed by Agent Hotchner-- her mentor. The dullness of the place and lack of having anything to do but awaiting the date of her flight had finally proved to become mind numbing, and she found herself becoming increasingly more prone to staring blankly off into space rather than contemplating as she usually would.

It was alarming, to say the least, and nothing that she was in the habit of. But she found herself welcoming the change, feeling oddly relieved to have her own mind silence itself for once. There was no thought that could possibly lead her to any revelations she did not want to discover, and she honestly felt like she needed that at this point.

Things had taken an undesirable turn for (Y/n) ever since her arrival back in Japan. She found herself craving the days back in the US before Light had revealed himself to be Kira. There would have been no urge to protect anything and she would have carried on living out her life without ever knowing of what transpired on the other side of the planet.

Ignorance truly was bliss.

Unfortunately for her, it was a bliss she did not know of. And, she supposed that it wasn't a bad thing because if she didn't look out for her family, who would? Had she let things take their course without ever being aware, she expected that the Yagami family would suffer unimaginably. There were very few possibilities that she saw of Light managing to realize his dream, and none of them would see it happening without sacrifices being made.

Some days, she wondered what it was like to see the world through Light's eyes. Nothing had ever been just black or just white for (Y/n). She had opened her eyes into a world of gray and never seen anything else. Where most would see things as they presented themselves, her mind went the extra mile and dug too far beneath the surface for her to see plain and solid colors.

Everything was layers of paint and sin and ambition, and it always made too much sense. Always put everything into perspective until a man wasn't just a sinner- he was desperation and malice that had chanced upon an opportunity to make a bad choice and become blind in the process.

Somedays, she envied those who couldn't see beyond their worlds of black and white and realize the immense canopy of watercolor shadows that hid the truth like a veil. On others, she was glad because it was hard to imagine being able to live with an easy acceptation. She thought it would be awfully exhausting to be so judgmental all the time.

But it was still nice to just...stop. To let her mind tune out and allow vacancy to settle in where it had never been given space before.

Here, away from everything else, there was nothing to worry about. She didn't care about what was happening with the Kira case for once, and just then, she didn't have to constantly look out for any slip-ups.

(Y/n) let herself be. She simply existed. Drifting. Untethered.

With all her documents locked away in a locker at the bank, there was nothing else to do so she had a lot of free time on her hands. As such, she had recently taken to wandering the streets of the town aimlessly, letting her feet take her where they pleased. It was a nice way to pass the time when it felt like it had come to a standstill for her.

There was one more day left of this state of simply existing, and she found herself strolling leisurely along the path that led back to the park she had visited a few days ago. Of course, she could have chosen to flight out at an earlier date, but the price for the ticket had been comparatively lower for that particular day, and she figured that she ought to save her money even though she was getting additional pay from L despite her salary from the FBI.

Sighing, she decided on entering the park for the lack of anything better to do. Trudging along the path back to the playground, she came to a stop only when she spotted the white-haired boy crouched on a bench on the opposite side, staring straight at her almost as though he were silently daring her to approach.

(Y/n) recognized Puzzle Boy almost instantly, her eyebrow rising slowly at the sight of him alone at the park with no sign of any adults looking for him. Largely out of her own curiosity, she crossed over to him, holding his gaze in a nearly cautious manner while she approached and slowly sat down next to him.

"You're alone today," she observed, her voice low in volume as a result of the air of silence between them.

The boy glanced at her from the corner of his eye, studying her as she did to him. "I'm waiting," he responded finally, his voice somehow quieter than hers. It was high and low all at once, and devoid of something she couldn't quite place right away.

"For?" She wasn't really looking for conversation, and she wasn't even expecting him to answer as she let her head fall back to squint up at the sky through the leaves of the tree that the bench was under.

"Someone to come get me," the boy answered, surprising her for a second before she hummed in acknowledgment to mask the emotion.

(Y/n) picked a leaf up from where it lay on the bench in the space between her and the boy, twirling its stem between her fingers and watching it turn in an absentminded manner. "You could just go back by yourself," she pointed out plainly. "Do you not know the way?" When the boy didn't respond, she straightened slightly, turning to look at him properly. "You really don't know the way?" Her eyebrow shot up incredulously.

The boy pursed his lips-- probably in a show of his irritation with her disbelief, but (Y/n) hadn't expected the lack of that knowledge when the boy came off as intelligent in his overall mannerisms. She hadn't forgotten how he had completed the large puzzle with admirable speed the last time she had seen Sheep Boy.

"How did you even manage to get lost?" she asked next. "I remember you had some people supervising you and the other kids last time. What happened to them?"

He shrugged, evidently not up to bothering with a verbal answer as he watched two squirrels begin to fight a few feet away from the bench being occupied by the odd pair.

At his silence, (Y/n) sighed, concluding that she ought to have stayed at home if she was going to feel as tired now. Something about the boy and the strange urge to be careful around him exhausted her. He was unnerving-- kind of like how L was, but somehow more intense. He had an air of insensitivity around him that was incredibly off-putting.

She briefly considered getting up and leaving. It's not like she didn't have anything else to do-- she could always go back and begin packing for the flight she had scheduled for the next day. Instead, however, she found herself remaining rooted in her seat even as the thought crossed her mind that she could just ditch the kid who made her think too much.

"Do your guardians know that you're here?" She looked down at the boy next to her, sighing when he returned her gaze and silently shook his head. "Is there some number you can call to have them come get you?" she prodded, pulling out her cellphone and holding it out to him.

Once again the boy shook his head, turning back to the squirrels and leaving her to frown at his head, feeling an odd sense of concern over this boy who had no idea how to get back to his home. Her stomach turned at the idea of just leaving him there, becoming uncomfortably aware of the darkening skies and the prospect of rain looming over them.

She heaved a long, laborious sigh before standing up and straightening her dress. The boy watched her, staring blankly when she turned to him expectantly.

"Well, come on," (Y/n) prompted. "Let's go find a phone-book or something so we can call someone and get you home. Or were you planning to just sit there forever?" He remained unmoving, eyeing her figure with his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, bringing (Y/n) to roll her own. "I'm not going to kidnap you. There's a camera on that street lamp right over there--" she pointed to the street beyond the boundary of the park "--and I'd be pretty damn stupid to try and run off with you when they'd have solid proof of my identity."

With obvious reluctance in his movements, the boy climbed off the bench, shoving his feet back into the white sneakers that had been laying discarded on the ground and peering up at her. (Y/n) mentally remarked over how short the kid actually was in comparison to her own stature, but didn't linger on it anymore.

"There's a cafe right across the street," she pointed at a small establishment across the road from the park, "and we could go ask them if they have a call directory. A lot of these establishments usually keep them around so it's a good bet." The boy seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding in consent, trailing just a little bit behind her as they made their way to the gates of the park. "I'm (Y/n), by the way."

Giving her name was only an attempt to put the boy at ease. It went to dull her status as a perpetual stranger which she hoped would take the edge off of getting lost and then being helped by the strange lady from the park.

She couldn't really tell what the boy was thinking, but he nodded in acceptance, not saying anything.

(Y/n) barely refrained from sighing once again. "Am I gonna get a name, or do I just refer to you as 'the white-haired kid'?" She raised her eyebrows at him expectantly, figuring that being honest and plain with her words would be the safest bet for her.

"Near." The boy's voice was barely above a whisper, but he stared at her like he was daring her to laugh at his name.

She didn't. (Y/n) only shrugged and nodded, not really acting at the kid's unusual name. "I have a brother named Light," she provided in answer to Near's now inquisitive gaze. She really was no stranger to unusual names after all.

I've been hanging around a guy who literally calls himself 'L'. Weird names just aren't as weird anymore.

Nevertheless, Near looked slightly less unwilling to be in her company now, and she wondered if his name had ever been a reason that other kids picked on him. (Y/n) was no stranger to being bullied-- she'd experienced her fair share of that in elementary school when her intelligence hadn't been met with awe and kids lashed out. It certainly didn't help that she was a quiet child who didn't react.

It had taken a long conversation with her parents and her graduating to middle school for (Y/n) to take a stand against the bullying. She had been very clever in orchestrating a very public situation that had her bullies in sights of their teachers. An 'emotional' conversation with the guidance counselor and the principal had followed and she had quite happily outed all of her tormentors.

To prevent any further harassment, she had forced herself to become more social because being isolated from her peers apparently resulted in hostility. (Y/n) had gone the extra mile, too, and carefully maintained an average of always coming in second place in the rankings. Everyone else's grades would fall or improve, but she was at a suspicious constant.

Not that anyone could ever question her for it, so she had gotten away with it even if her parents knew she was doing it on purpose.

When they neared the pedestrian crossing, Near ended up clutching at her sleeve. He had avoided her questioning stare with great determination, so she respected his efforts and didn't bother bringing it up. He held onto the sleeve of her dress until they had safely crossed over, and didn't let it go until the duo was safely inside the coffee shop.

(Y/n) directed him towards a table at the back before nearing the counter and the middle-aged woman behind it. "Good evening," she greeted the barista with a smile, beating the other woman to the punch. "I was wondering if you guys have a phone-book or something, by any chance?"

Luckily, the cafe did, in fact, have one and (Y/n) carried it over to the table where Near was, balancing two mugs-- one of a caramel macchiato and the other a hot chocolate-- on top of the thick book. She was almost proud at not having spilled the drinks when she settled all the items on the table and took a seat.

"Alright, so who are we looking to call?" She brought the book closer to her, flipping it open.

Near peered into his mug, judging the rippling surface of the sweet brown liquid inside it. "Wammy's House," he muttered, bringing his face closer to the drink.

She flipped to the 'W' section, finding the number fairly quickly and making quick work of dialing it. Absently stirring the sugar into her own coffee, she waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" came the voice of an elderly man, bringing a pause to her movements.

"Am I speaking to whoever's in charge at the Wammy's House?" She cringed at her own wording, not really knowing who she was talking to and disliking speaking on the phone anyways.

The man on the other end of the line only replied in the affirmative. "Yes. May I know who I am speaking to?"

She coughed, feeling uncomfortably aware of the difference in their accents. "I'm (Y/n) Yagami, sir. I'm sorry to have disturbed your evening, but I happen to have Near here with me, and neither of us know how to reach the Wammy's House."

There was a muffled clatter on the other end, indicating that the man had just dropped something. "Near is with you?" the man repeated. "Where are you right now, Ms. Yagami?"

She raised an eyebrow, but gave the man their location all the while Near watched passively, sipping away at his hot chocolate. The man gave her instructions on how to reach the Wammy's House, claiming that nobody was available to retrieve Near at the moment since a few people were out looking for him, none of whom were close to the pair's current location. She hung up, picking her mug up and sipping at the coffee. "Guess you're stuck with me for a little bit longer, kid."

Near tilted his head, regarding her with his unwavering, passive stare. "You're an FBI agent, aren't you." It was a statement, not a question-- spoken in the same soft tone with utmost surety.

Her eyes narrowed, not really seeing the point of bringing her job up. She guessed that Near had found that out from the girl or the boy at the park from last time. Honestly, she felt just a tad ridiculous for having a stare-off with a prepubescent boy, but Near didn't seem like just any averagely intelligent kid so she let that be her consolation.

"I am," she said finally, gulping down the last of her cooling coffee.

Near's eyes flitted to her briefly before flickering back down to his own beverage. "Yagami is a Japanese last name," he remarked blandly. "Are you from Japan, Ms. (Y/n)?"

Exhaling slowly, she nodded and Near returned the gesture. "The Kanto region," she supplied sharply, "if that was what your next question was going to be."

Something about his demeanor gave way to show his amusement despite the lack of expression on his face. Near looked like he was about to say something more, but seemed to have decided against it under the challenge in (Y/n)'s silent stare. "I'm done," he said instead. "We can leave."

She watched him for a moment before nodding and getting up, calling out her thanks to the woman behind the counter before leaving with Near shuffling right behind her. Since she wasn't particularly fond of the idea of taking a taxi, the pair settled on walking to Wammy's, strolling down the streets side-by-side and garnering the occasional strange glance.

It could be reasoned that they made for an odd looking duo. A young woman in her twenties and a white-haired boy dressed in the same color as his hair, too old to reasonably pass for her son and obviously looking nothing like her to even be shrugged off as siblings or the like. With Near reaching for her sleeve every so often, though, at least it didn't look like she was abducting him and nobody outwardly questioned it.

In the time it took to walk him home, (Y/n) and Near managed a respectable conversation by their standards, largely only asking each other questions and cleverly skirting around with their answers. She had concluded that Near had a genius intellect, further bringing her to suspect that she probably just attracted that kind with whatever her own eccentricities were.

Still, she had gleaned into the well hidden interest he showed when cases she'd solved came up, and resolved to keeping their conversation centered around that, effectively managing to bring Near into some semblance of a comfort zone. His responses were still short and sparse, but he listened and she talked, and neither was outright displeased with the arrangement.

Sympathy, she realized, was what she was feeling towards Near. She understood the passive and aloof nature all too well after spending years on developing that as her armor against the world and its selfish ways. Near seemed to have resolved to the same thing. Sometimes, it's easier to hide behind the genius persona and aura of insensitivity than to face the harshness people tended to regard those like Near with.

There was something else there, too, though. Something she was having trouble with picking up on simply because she didn't know the boy all that well. A person's personality and behavior are linked directly with their history. She didn't know Near's history beyond the fact that he was being brought up in a reasonably well reputed orphanage that was apparently known for its genius kids.

Strangely enough, the orphanage took to personally educating the children rather than having them all sent to another institution as was typical. To (Y/n), it all sounded incredibly shady, but Near wasn't showing any signs of being abused or mentally manipulated, so she figured it was none of her business and resolved to ignoring it.

When they neared the large building that was apparently Wammy's House, her pace slowed, allowing her younger companion to pass her. Having realized that he was now walking ahead, Near turned around to stare at (Y/n). She could only assume that it was his version of what would be a questioning gaze.

She smiled at the boy, letting her hand reach out and ruffled his white curls when she reached his side. Near's eyes widened by the barest fraction, taken aback by the sudden gesture of affection as he stared up at her. "You know, Near--" she