"You mean the ones that color you eyes?" Mail frowned. "You took them out after the shoot and left them with wardrobe."

"Shooting!?" Nate looked alarmed, turning toward Mail. "Who was shooting!? Was anyone hurt!?"

Mail and Mihael both looked at each other before looking back at Nate.

"...Case and point." Mihael sighed.

"If this is a trick Mello and Matt are playing, it isn't funny," Nate snapped, his eyes narrow. "Matt said to meet him in that closet, but he didn't show up! And then I tripped and hit my head... where are we anyways? And how did Mello and Matt find out my real name!?"

"...Oh my God!" Mail burst and pointed at Nate. "He thinks he's Near!"

A short silence followed these words before Nate snorted. "Of course I do. I am Near. It's no wonder Matt is third best..."

"Holy shit you're right, he does." Mihael blinked- looking worried. "And he thinks we're Mello and Matt."

"Who else would Mello and Matt be!?" 'Nate' snapped, glaring at them.

"Nate...Mello and Matt...and Near...they're characters in the show we're making." Mihael said slowly.

The younger boy stared at him slowly, before he asked, "Who would want to watch a show about us?"

"What're you talkin' about, we're takin' the US by storm!" Mail cheered.

"Why would we be in the United States?" Nate breathed before he frowned, realizing neither of the other two were speaking with their 'usual' English accents, while he himself 'still' had it.

"We're in Hollywood baby!" Mail laughed. "You seriously don't...I mean...Near?"

He looked at Nate closely.

Nate stared back at him, staring deep into his eyes. "This... this person... he isn't... he isn't Ma-"

The door came open and Missy came in, looking all around. "Mihael, are you- Oh!"

As she spotted him, she slipped in, Lawliet and Chester in tow.

"Good thing we found you," She commented, peering at them. "Who's this? And where is Nate, anyways?"

"HUH!?" Mihael and Mail both blinked.

--

"Wait a minute...slow down and tell me this again, please." Roger frowned as he listened to Nate.

Nancy was on the phone with L while Roger interviewed the ivory-haired boy about recent events.

"Stop talking to me like I'm 12!" Nate snapped back, glaring at Roger. "I know you think I'm crazy, but I'm tell you, I'm not Near!"

"But the resemblance is uncanny." Roger frowned and looked closer at Nate.

"No shit," Nate commented, rolling his eyes.

Either he was dreaming, or this guy was a loony. One of those guys like the one who tried to make that kid from Harry Potter pretend to be his son.

"Tell L he's swearing regularly as well." Roger told Nancy.

"He keeps saying things like 'hell'," Nancy sobbed into the phone. "But he wont say the word god! And he keeps saying you!"

"What's wrong with the word 'you'?" Nate inquired, making the woman sob louder.

"For the love of God, Nancy, give the phone to Near!" Roger pleaded.

"I told you, I'm not Near!" Nate snapped. Nancy let out another loud sob and dropped the phone into Roger's hand, who then passed it to the boy. Groaning, the albino put it to his ear. "Look... unless you want to be charged for kidnapping, I suggest you take me back to where I was!"

"You certain don't sound at all like Near to me." Came a blank, but very familiar voice.

For a moment, Nate was silent. Then he slowly frowned. "Lawliet?"

Nancy's sobs stopped dead and her eyes went wide.

"So you know who I am." Came the reply. "But that leaves the question of who you are."

"Nate River," Nate said, rolling his eyes. "Who else would I be? And what the hell are you doing, Lawliet? Are you in on this bullshit?"

"You are NOT Nate River...you've been denying that this whole time." The person on the other end replied.

"Uh, no..." Nate groaned. "I said that I'm not Near. I am Nate River. Near is a character I play in a TV show!"

Nancy turned to look at Roger, her eyes wide.

"That's interesting...what's the show about?" Lawliet asked.

"You and that idiot Light," Nate sighed. There was no point in fighting this shit if Lawliet was going to play along. "He's got this notebook that kills people and he is all, 'blah blah blah, I'm god' about it. You got killed off after season one and they bought in Mihael, Mail, and me to replace you. Man, did that kill ratings!"

"Maybe the target audience just hasn't warmed up to you yet." Lawliet replied. "Did you say I died?"

"Nancy, call up the doctor." Roget said calmly.

With a grim nod, Nancy moved toward the door and pulled it open, only to look in surprise as a redheaded teenager - who had been pressed against it - stumbled in.

The redhead looked up and blinked at all of them before grinning.

"Hey...this isn't the bathroom." He offered.

"Mail, thank god!" Nate cried, shoving the phone into Roger's hands before he hopped off the bed and came over. "Can you tell these people that... what the fuck are you wearing?"

"Did you just say 'fuck'?" The red-haired boy blinked up at Nate in surprise.

The redhead was dressed in a striped shirt with green shorts and long, striped socks. Over his eyes, he wore goggles that were mirror polished with orange lenses.

"...I know they pay you a lot, but... they couldn't pay me enough to wear green with orange," Nate commented, looking baffled.

"I bought these." The boy frowned.

"No wonder your agent dresses you," Nate scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Mail, can you please tell these two nut jobs that I'm not Near so we can go the heck home?"

"You're...not...Near?" The other boy frowned. "...Did you just call me Mail...in the OPEN!?"

"Uhh... its your name?" Nate asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Matt," Nancy cut in, stepping forward. "Did Mello... do anything to hurt Near? Hit his head or anything that you know of? We know that you wouldn't hurt him, but if Mello did anything... you can't cover for him, Matt! This is serious!"

"I didn't hit my fucking head!" Nate snapped, glaring at her. "And... wait, why wouldn't Mail hurt me? I'm no one special to him or anything."

Nancy's frown grew dark and she looked at the redhead. "As I said... this is serious."