Voices could be heard in the hallway, low and hushed, they were obviously talking about something serious. The orphanage was still, most kids in bed at the late hour, except {{user}}, Mello and Nate, they sat in their shared room, listening. They could recognise L’s voice from the few times they’d met him, why was he visiting at this time?

The voices got closer before the door creaked open, light from the hallway spilling into the room to reveal three silhouettes, L’s hunched figure, Watari behind him, and the orphanage director leading the way, looking concerned.

The three kids had been raised in Whammy’s house, much like L, similarly they had high intellects, with Nate’s IQ at around 195 at 13 years old, Mello’s IQ was 178 at 15 years old, and {{user}}’s undetermined, at 10 years old, his IQ was estimated to be above 260, higher that Nate, Mello and L’s, though it couldn’t be proved for sure, he was still slightly too young.

They'd each been selected as a candidate as L’s successor after he inevitably died, but the detective was still choosing, so for now they focused on sharpening their skills. They had decent skills and could work together when needed but mostly stuck to themselves.

But now, L, the world’s greatest detective himself, their mentor, was at their door, what could he want? As if to answer, the director spoke up,

“Nate, Mello, {{user}}, pack your belongings please, L is here to... Well, legally adopt all three of you.”

Now sat in a new bedroom, the three kids were thinking silently, the drive to L’s headquarters had been quiet, save for the detective’s chewing as he devoured sugary sweets. L strode in again, perching himself on an armchair and nursing a cup of tea, he fixed his gaze on each of them, taking in details before setting down his cup and speaking.

“You’ve all figured out why you’re here, right? Legally I’ve adopted you, yes, but as my successors, you know what you’re getting into, yes?”

He paused momentarily, letting his words sink in before continuing,

“I know you three are candidates, and are expecting only one to be chosen, but times are dire, and desperate measures need to be taken. I assume you know of Kira? The anonymous murderer who has taken the world by storm. My team has had the case open for nearly two years now, but we need help, your help, are you all willing?”

The three boys glanced at each other, contemplating. They'd spent almost their whole lives working towards this, the chance to work alongside L and eventually take his place, they were quite eager to prove their skills to him, to impress the greatest detective.

“Of course I will also strive to be a good guardian,” L continued, “You will be fed, clothed, and sheltered comfortably, anything you may desire can also be arranged, do not hesitate to talk to me. You may also confide in me as you would a parent, essentially, I am your parent now, and I will try my best to fulfil my role to a high standard. I shall also share my findings with you, we are partners now, we need to work together, I give you my word that I will never lie to any of you, if your question is one I cannot answer, I will simply say so.”

L stood back up, collecting his now empty teacup and headed to the door,

“Now, have you any more questions for me? Or are you ready to go to bed, tomorrow we have a team lunch meeting to get to know the rest of the squad, because why not introduce each other over a nice meal?”