L sat relatively alone in his hotel room. Yet another prison inmate had just written a note and died of a heart attack, and L had already received the photo of the note. This note was very different.

“And the detective…
‘Ello my ‘Ear. Have no parents, do you?”

What could it mean? This same question kept coming back in L’s mind as he stared at the note. “And the detective…” he thought, That could be about me. “Have no parents, do you?” “‘Ello my ‘Ear”? It doesn’t make any sense. L suddenly perked up, his eyes growing wide. “Watari!” he said, “We need to check on Mello and Near!” Watari picked up the phone…

Before the prison inmate had died, it seemed like a normal day. That is, until a teenage boy, his face half-concealed by a cloth mask, approached Wammy’s House and knocked on the door. He had entered the orphanage and asked the old man named Roger if he could speak with Mello. “I would prefer it if I spoke to Mello alone,” he said, entering the room Roger had led him to. Mello looked over his shoulder at the stranger whom spoke his name, a piece of chocolate sticking out of his mouth. Near had just finished building a house of cards, and he and Roger left the room.

“I see you like chocolate,” said the masked teen, “I happen to have a stash of chocolate, and I say it’d fill a warehouse.” Mello paused, looking at the stranger. “How did you get that much chocolate?” he asked.

“Found a lot, took some, bought some,” replied the other teen, “Now that I have your attention… I’ve come to make a deal with you, Mello.” The blonde-haired orphan chewed his chocolate, his blue gaze locked on the other teen. “You know, the chain of command can be like a… house of cards,” said the masked teen, walking over to the structure Near had built of cards, “The most important people are the cards on the bottom, the ones whom keep things going. The least important people are at the top. Say my target is represented by these four cards here.” He indicated four cards in the center on the very bottom of the card house, “If you take him out…” He quickly plucked the cards from under the house. The door was open ajar, and Near, whom was eavesdropping, watched the building of cards he had worked so hard to construct completely collapse. “… everything falls apart,” continued the stranger.

He moved his thumb to the right and his index and middle finger to the left, spreading the four cards he had taken, and stared at the cards. “Who is it you’re wanting me to kill?” Mello’s voice broke the other teen from his thoughts. The stranger laid the four cards down on a coffee table and wandered over to an open window, staring outside. “I’m not exactly sure if you will accept,” he said, “but I decided to take the chance.” Placing his right hand on the left side of the window, he turned to face Mello. “I want you to kill,” he said cautiously, “… L.” The eyes of both Near and Mello stretched wide.

Mello stood up from the couch he had been seated on. “Who are you?” he demanded. The other teenager merely laughed. “Why,” said the stranger, “I am the third Kira.” As Mello made a move toward him, Kira leaned back; Near, seeing this, quickly rose to his feet and pushed the door the rest of the way open. “Tata,” Kira said mockingly as he disappeared below the windowsill. Near turned and ran down the hall, and when Mello reached the window, he was astonished to see Kira flip over in mid air and stop inches above the ground! Kira seemed to levitate, his form turning to where he dropped the last few inches, landed on his feet, and made a run for it…

“Roger,” said Watari, on the phone, “are Near and Mello alright?” Just as Roger was about to answer that question, Near and Mello themselves burst through the door, both shouting something about Kira. “Both of you,” said Roger, “calm down! Now, what are you two trying to tell me?”

“That masked guy was the third Kira!” exclaimed Mello, and Roger nearly dropped the phone…