Defective

Games

"You have broken the law, Near. Kidnapping is a major offense." Deneuve uttered.

Near smirked while trying to hide is laughter. The smirk slowly eased into light giggling until it finally hit the point of no return.

"What's so funny?" the Defective cried, voice even higher than usual.

It took a moment for Near to regain his composure. As soon as he calmed, he explained, "I am not the one that has broken the law."

Deneuve and the Defective stood in shock. "Cut the crap!" The Defective cried, voice squeaking.

Near was confused by the language for a moment but quickly regathered. "The fact of the matter is, the two of you were hiding out in a building owned by another person. You were tresspassing."

"That is wrong! The building was owned by L Lawliet, a dead man!" The Defective objected.

Near snapped his fingers and held out his hand. Gevanni placed a packet of paper in the hand. "The building was owned by Light Yagami, as left in L's will. Light has also died, so the building was owned by the Yagami family while the two of you were squatting."

"So, you're saying that you are also guilty of trespassing? You found us in the building."

"False. We were not guilty. Because we purchased the building and all of its contents. So, you were sleeping in my bed this whole time!" Near chided. He lifted the papers, the deed.

The two glared daggers at Near, and he loved that feeling. He felt the elation rise up in him; the heat of his enemy's hatred warming him from head to toe.

"There is good news for you."

Deneuve and the Defective looked up quickly. "You mean the fact that you can't keep us here without bringing this to national attention?"

Near sighed. "Unfortunately, I cannot force you to stay here, so I give you a choise: You may leave the building and stroll straight into the cops waiting around the building," he let that digest. "Or you can play a game with me. We can gamble."

"Gamble?" Deneuve's eyes widened. "Sounds intriguing. What game?"

"Get the deck," Near ordered. Upon hearing, Gevanni immediately turned around and walked to a nearby desk. He pulled the desk drawer open and dug through the variety of junk until he came out victorious. He held a red and white package. He tossed it lightly to Near, who let it hit the floor in front of him.

Near picked the deck up gingerly, looking at every inch of it; inspecting for mistakes. After he was certain of its legitimacy, he opened the box and withdrew the cards.

"Deneuve, have your friend come and make sure these are shuffled properly. After he or she finishes shuffling, I will have Halle do the same, to ensure a fair playing field. Agreed?"

"The Defective will shiffle last, and then I can agree to it."

Near nodded back and had Halle shuffle the deck. She bridged and handed the deck to a waiting hand.

The Defective shuffled the exact same way and placed the deck on the ground in front of them. "Distribute them." Near uttered.

Halle walked over to the deck and picked it up. She began walking around in a random direction and dropping the cards. Near closed his eyes to show that he wanted a fair game. "All you want to do in this game is find the Ace of Spades. The first to find it wins the game and the wager. The instructions are straightforward. Let us begin."

The two took turns picking up cards from the assortment. The picking was extremely random, with no pattern visible.

"Defective, I have something to ask." Near stated.

"What do you want?!" the Defective sneered.

Near's mind was working. A very high pitched voice. Recognizable? Yes. He recognized the voice. The Defective is a popular celebrity. But who's? What do I have to go on? So, it's a celebrity, presumably a girl. "Lidner," Near called.

Lidner walked over toward Near with a sense of purpose. "Yes," she waited.

Near motioned her to come in for a whisper. She leaned her ear toward Near's mouth. He whispered something. Lidner's eyes widened and returned to normal in a second.

"Why are you so bent on keeping your identity a secret?"

"Do not answer that!" Defective interrupted. "He is smart. Don't give him any extra information.

Near stood. "Why are you hiding from me? What is the point?"

Deneuve rose above Near. "It's your job to figure that out!"

"We're both detectives! What are you trying to figure out?"

Deneuve fell silent and took his attention away from his adversary.

Near selected another card. He sighed. The 2 of Spades. Just his luck. "You know Deneuve, you seem to have a tight leash on the Defective. I would've thought she'd be smarter. Very disappointed. You don't have faith in her."

Deneuve took his card and sighed, waiting for it.

"The Defective stood and screamed. "I'M THE ENTIRE REASON HE'S..."

Suddenly, the Defective was on the ground with a hand over her mouth and a fist over her face. "You need to shut up before I see to it you never speak again."

He removed his hand and the Defective spoke again. "That's some thank you," she mumbled.

Now that that lovely ordeal has played out, I need to tell you that you can't hide your identities well. I am ninety-four percent sure you are," Near said as he pointed to the Defective. "Clearly a woman, based on the pitch of your voice and the whining. I recognize your voice too. The only problem is that I don't know how it happened at all. Are you Kiyomi Takada?"

Deneuve grinned. In his hand was a card, the red and white side visible to Near. He slowly rose it up and turned it around. "Unfortunately for you, we can neither deny nor confirm."

The duo whirled around, Defective waved to Halle, and exited the building.