The ground was wet. Everything outside was wet.

And Near would remember this day for the rest of his life. He just knew it somehow.

Maybe because it was his first time to step out into the garden after all the years he spent in Wammy's House. He never played with the other children, even when he was little, so he had never gone out there before. But he had always wanted to. He chose this day to finally go because 1) he was thirteen; it was about time for him to get some fresh air, and 2) it was raining and he figured that no one else would be out.

Near was surprised to find that he rather enjoyed the feel of everything. The squishy mud that splattered his Wellies, the rain lightly drizzling on his skin, tickling his face and making goosebumps form. The sound it made was also soothing. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter. He walked around like that for a while, listening and feeling all the new things around him, but then he found out that the novel part of the experience was yet to come.

The boy reached a little shed at the back of the garden and was about to enter it when he heard a slight shuffling of feet inside.

It was dark in there, and his footsteps made no sound. He managed to creep in without being noticed by whoever else was in there... In the dim light, Near saw a movement of bright color. It was almost the color of the sun.

What is Mello doing here?

He was hunched over, fussing over something Near couldn't see. The latter was going to slip out silently before he was seen, but he caught a glimpse of the other boy's face. That expression on Mello's face; it was so foreign. The look in his eyes was so soft. And his face was relaxed and looked almost gentle. Near was slightly fascinated with this peculiar sight and so decided to stay for a while more.

He edged deftly into a promising vantage point; a corner behind some stacked boxes where he could watch Mello without being seen. He wouldn't be found out as long as he was quiet, and that wasn't really a major concern of Near's. He had always been exceptionally silent. But Mello had never been, so seeing him like this now… It was a curious event.

A few minutes went by with nothing more eventful than the sound of the rain…

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, meow!

If Near were an animal, his ears would have pricked upwards. For a moment he wasn't quite sure about what he had heard—perhaps his ears had been deceiving him?—but then he heard it again. It was faint, but…

Meow! Purr~

Yes, it was a real sound. What made it interesting was that it came from where Mello was.

Near craned his neck a little (surely even he was entitled to some curiosity!) to see the source, but hurriedly tucked his head back in time. Mello had turned around. He didn't seem to have noticed the momentary flash of white that was Near's hair, for he was thoroughly absorbed in another white thing that rested in his arms.

A kitten.

This was what pacified the unruly and gruff Mello?

How… odd.

Looking more like a ghost than anything, Near remained quietly crouched in his hiding spot. He was really paying attention to the blonde boy now. This wasn't just some spectacle anymore. It was an actual chance to see Mello as a human being.

A shallow bowl of milk was near Mello's feet. He must have been feeding it. There was a cardboard box in the corner. There was also a makeshift splint on one of the creature's tiny legs. It had been injured. He cared for it this much? That means he comes here regularly? Watching him cradle the little kitten in his arms was strangely spellbinding. And he was humming to it, too (with a surprisingly good voice).

Near didn't know whether to believe what was in front of him or assume that it was just some delusion. Why would Mello come out on a rainy day, anyway?

Ah, he reasoned, he probably thought that since it was raining, no one would see him out.

Amazing, their logic.

The younger of the two spent the next few minutes absorbing his newfound discovery. Mello turned out to have a weakness for fragile, weak things. And it was clear that he sincerely cared for the kitten; the look on his face as he watched it frisk around (as much as it could with three working legs) was enough of a giveaway. Near just couldn't figure out why.

Why was Mello's true self revealed by this little white ball of fur?

Perhaps he really just had a secret inclination to help the helpless. Maybe he had no reason to exert power or force here, considering that what he was facing was the complete opposite. Maybe that was what all the exterior bravado was for; to hide the fact that inside, Mello was actually capable of that thing most people called love. Why was he hiding it in the first place? If only Near found out about it earlier…

But was it possible for Mello to love anything else besides this kitten, anyway? To actually show this side of him? Near could only wonder.

Probably not.

~o~

Needless to say, someone was sick the following day.

"Ah-choo!"

"Near, are you alright?"

"Just fine," he sniffled, not even looking at the girl who had expressed her concern. His eyes remained on the card tower he had been constructing. Now it lay in a heap. No, he wasn't feeling well in the slightest. But there was no need to make such a big fuss out of it, honestly… Sighing a little in exasperation, Near gathered the cards into his hands and decided to head for the sanctuary of his room. But upon standing up, everything seemed to tilt and close in. There was a thud—oh, that was me—then all of a sudden, he found his eyesight parallel to the floor.

The next thing he knew, he was on a bed in the infirmary. There was a little commotion by the doorway. Near continued breathing deeply, pretending to still be asleep, listening intently.

"What do you mean, I have to take care of him?"

"Exactly that, Mello."

"But Roger—"

"Please. The nurse is on leave. All you have to do is watch over him and make sure he takes his medicine. Just until the nurse gets back. You're the oldest here."

Mello was still grumbling. "This is impossible."

"How so?" the old man mused.

"This is like asking me to take care of… Of a little kitten!" he scoffed. "Can you even see me doing that, Roger? Well? Can you?"

Roger chuckled as he left. "I have to admit that the idea is a bit inconceivable..."

Near could only smile inwardly. Inconceivable, but not utterly impossible.

Mello was still audibly grumbling, but there was the scrape of a chair as he took a seat opposite the occupied bed. "I swear, of all the things to make me do… If anyone ever finds out about this, there goes my chance of being L's successor. Whoosh. Out the window. Come to think of it… Maybe I should just get rid of you while I can. Right here, right now. While you're so nice and vulnerable."

But even as he said those words, a tentative hand started to brush lightly through silky platinum hair.

A/N: Le gasp! My first ever Death Note fanfic! D: And it's a one-shot!

Yeah, I'm aware that it's not really a story. Just a bit of fluff mixed in with a whole lot of random. And my favorite DN pairing, of course; Mello and Near! *squee* Eh,I just love the whole contradiction thing that those two have got going on. So much potential relationship material there! XD So that's when the plot bunny (or in this case, kitten) attacked and wouldn't let me rest until I typed my brains out. :P And this was the result.

Well, I apologize if there's not much that went on here (it's more like a pointless drabble than anything). Hopefully there's more (better ones) to come. Haha. XP

Anyway, please tell me what you think! I appreciate all manner of feedback. :D

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