"I do quite clearly." L replied. "You sound much more distressed right now."

"The time lines matching up," Nate breathed, sounding rather confusing to his own mind. "L... Raito put a plan into the works and then gave up his memories. Its going to come into play and then you're going to... well... you know."

"I don't know, you're telling me all kinds of new things." L replied. "What do you want to tell me? That I'm falling into a trap then?"

"There's this group of buisnessmen," Nate said, very slowly. "Try to follow me, because Roger got lost... right now, one of them is Kira. A temporary one... when you capture him, Light will get his memories back and manipulate a shinigami into killing you, using Misa."

"I see...you mentioned that he's lost his memories?" L asked.

"And he is absolutely convinced he's not Kira, while secretly agreeing with the idea of killing criminals," Nate informed. "And Matsuda agrees with him on occasion, only to get chewed out by... um... gosh, is it Ukita? Or... Aizawa...?"

"You know about my case, but this new information...what grounds do you have it on?" L asked. "I'm very curious, but at the same time you understand my caution...you could be the one leading me on."

Panic filled Nate, but he tried not to let it show. "You're welcome to check into my files if you want... check anything. I just... I don't want to see you die, knowing I could have saved you."

He paused, before his eyes went wide.

"Wait... if you don't die, the kira case... the show will be different... will I have ever been in it?"

"You're worrying about your damned carrier!?" Mello snapped.

"I can't say that for certain, you're talking like you're here to change the future." L replied. "Normally, I wouldn't even play with the idea, but in a world where notebooks can kill people..."

"I'm not worried about my fucking carrier!" Nate snapped at Mello, seemingly pissed at the idea - and a little hurt.

He let out a slow breath and calmed down again. "Just... watch out for a guy named Higuchi, L. Okay? And look into me, I don't care... I don't care if things get all messed up, but... I know this isn't my place, but I'm going to ask anyway - if the Kira case gets solved without you dying... can you... take me out of the Blane's foster home?"

"What's Blane's Foster Home?" Matt asked with a frown.

"You're...you're...what are you doing?" Mello blinked.

"Nate...if your information actually succeeds in saving my life, I'll find you myself and meet you in person." L replied. "But you have to understand, that if this is something to affect the future, there's just as likely a chance that whatever you do can't change anything that's already set. What I'm trying to say is...don't get your hopes up."

"Even if I can't save myself, if I can save... well... myself?" Nate scoffed. "Then I don't mind... and saving you, Mello, Near, and Matt from what happens in the show is worth any shit I have to go through. You guys don't deserve that."

"...I'll do whatever I can." L assured. "What you have to do is remain calm and concern yourself with your situation...can you do that for me?"

Matt blinked over at Mello- sharing a concerned look with the blonde boy before looking back at Nate.

"...What don't we deserve?" He asked reluctantly.

"I can do that," Nate informed, relaxing a little. "And I'm sure. Even if my current situation doesn't change because of time and space bullshit, the one I'm in right now is just fine."

"Thank you." L replied. "Go ahead and hand the phone back to Roger and I'll work a few things out between him and Watari. You just hold tight where you are as my welcome guest."

"Thank you," Nate whispered before he quietly handed the phone back to Roger and got up, heading for the door.

"Nate!" Mello frowned and hurried after the boy- Matt trailing right behind him.

"This place is huge," Nate commented as he proceeded to get himself lost again - this time not really caring.

"Nate?" Matt walked up to Nate's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "...You look so pale...more than before anyway."

Mello was walking behind them- his hands in his pockets.

"...Something happens to us." Mello murmured. "L dies...likely, we take up the case, but..."

"But L doesn't say who is his successor," Nate mumbled - he'd already changed the future, no sense in keeping anything more from them. "Roger offers it to you both and Near agrees, but you say no... you run away. You join the mafia... work your way up the ranks and Near creates a group that you later kill off."

He sighed a bit, leaning against a wall and dropping his face into his hands.

"In the script, you and Matt both die," He whispered. "I... I couldn't let L die and know that any of that would happen..."

"...Die?" Matt repeated.

Mello was silent Nate said this- watching the ivory-haired boy as he confessed these things- like he was dealing the death blows himself.

"...It's not your life." Mello said suddenly. "Why would you care?"

The younger boy lifted his colorless eyes and frowned. "Because you're a person too and you have just as much right to live as I do. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I let you die if I can do something to prevent it..."

"How does it happen?" Matt asked. "After L dies?"

"Me and Near would have gone onto the case...you said I didn't work with him, so we went our separate ways...me in the mob and him with his task force." Mello worked out. "...I asked Matt to help."

"What?" Matt frowned at the blonde boy.

"That part... it doesn't make sense to me," Nate admitted, looking up at them. "If you two aren't best friends... why would Matt help you and not Near?"

"Because I asked him to." Mello murmured.

"Mels?" Matt blinked.

"I asked and he came to help...because Matt's loyal." Mello said. "I...I was asking for help...right?"

Mello looked up at Nate.

"I needed help." Mello said again.

"...Yeah, you needed help," Nate breathed, avoiding the blonde's eyes. "But it doesn't matter. Its not going to happen that way. L isn't going to die and you're not gonna join the mafia. Kira will be caught."

"...Does Matt die on the case?" Mello asked.

"Don't say it like it's gonna happen!" Nate snapped, turning to glare at Mello for a moment before he let out a slow breath. "He did, yes."

"Oh God..." Mello looked down. "I killed him."

"What?" Matt frowned before shaking his head. "Mello-"

"He wouldn't have even been there." Mello breathed. "He came because I needed help...he died because I called him."

"Mels!" Matt snapped.

"Matt...I'm sorry...I didn't know they'd kill you." Mello murmured darkly.

"Stop talking like I'm already DEAD!" Matt shouted.

"Knock it off!"

Nate reached down and grabbed a handful of the blonde's shirt, pulling him down so that their faces were close. "Right now you need to fucking focus on finding a way to get Near back, do you hear me!?"

"Near!" Mello repeated. "Now he can't take up the case! Is Kira still gonna be alive in your time!?"

"L isn't dead, you retarded blonde!" Nate shrieked.

"How did it happen, how did you die, you have to tell me!" Mello grabbed Nate's shirt and shook him.

Letting out a growl, Nate pulled a fist back and decked Mello across the face - rather roughly. "Snap the fuck out of it!"

Mello stumbled over and hit the floor.

"Nate!" Matt cried out in alarm- kneeling down beside the blonde.

"Wake up, Mello!" Nate snapped, towering over the blonde and glaring down at him. "Because this is reality! This is the present! L is alive and kicking to boot! So knock off this talk of people being dead because it hasn't happened and it isn't going to!"

He threw up his hands.

"You're nothing like the fucking Mello in the show! He's not a complete pussy!"

"He's also completely dead, right?" Mello replied bitterly. "And so's L and Matt...did Near die too?"

"Shut up!" Nate groaned. "It HASN'T HAPPENED! Look at you, you're still alive! And so is Matt! So stop focusing on the fucking future!"

"A future we can change!" Matt shook Mello. "Near's in the future and Nate knows what's gonna happen next, we just have to keep up with L and help him!"

The redhead looked up Nate.

"You can tell us everything, right?" He asked pleadingly.

"Only if he promises not to get all depressed and emo if I do," Nate huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at Mello.

Really, aside from Linda, Mello couldn't remember the last person to really stand up to him. Usually kids ran scared when he was in a bad mood... after all, he was second best and no one was brave enough to cross him.