Chapter 8

It had been almost two months sense the incident. For the first week Mello had been in an almost state of shock. Wondering from room to room, only eating when he couldn't take being hungry anymore. He was still angry with Matt, but the anger soon turned to loneliness. He had waited for Matt to come back, carrying around the broken cell phone everywhere he went. He was convinced that the man just needed a few days to cool off. Mello stayed at the house, talking to no one and only making one excursion out to get more food. He didn't stay out long; worried that Matt might come back and think he had left. Days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Mello felt like a wreck, pacing the rooms aimlessly, and yelling when no one was there to yell at. The Kira case didn't matter anymore, and Mello started getting jumpy at any sound. When the house would creak, he would be convinced that it was someone walking around.

Mello wondered into the bathroom. The wounds he had gotten from the accident had faded and could barely be seen anymore. He had stopped wearing the bandage two weeks after Matt had left. Besides, Mello couldn't wrap them the same way Matt could with only one arm. The house had grown a more homely feel, seeing as it was being used again. Mello had spent one day a few weeks ago cleaning the entire house. Things to do had gotten few and far between. Mello ran some new water to help heat the house. It had become a dull winter, and all the rooms lacked central heating. Suddenly, Mello started searching franticly, looking at the floor as if it had taken something from him. Getting down on his hands and knees, Mello crawled around, looking under everything. Finely, pulling something out from under a chair, he calmed down. Holding the cell phone tenderly in his hands, he flipped the top up. The screen was cracked, and didn't light up, the batteries didn't work. No missed calls. Mello frowned.

--

Matt sighed and leaned against the window of the run down apartment. He watched common thugs on the street peddle low class drugs for a moment, before pushing himself away from the window. He walked toward the radio and turned it up slightly. "--I knew it was too good to be true, cause I'm the only one that understands me. What happened to us? We used to be so perfect, now we're lost and lonely. What happened to us? Now I wonder did I loose my only." Matt sang softly with the song, wandering into the kitchen. He paused for a moment, before opening the cabinets. He saw the many bars of chocolate that he kept around for Mello. How long had it been? Two months? He still felt numb from the fight. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think about going back. He was less then fifty miles away from the house. However, he severely doubted that Mello would still be there.

He felt his phone buzz, he pulled it out and looked at the text message with and arched eyebrow. "Near?" Why the hell would the albino bastard be texting him? Matt opened the message. I doubt that you actually know, but I figured you would be the best person to ask since he has yet to reappear again shortly after the explosion. Mello is dead, right? Matt felt his heart clench. Honestly he didn't know. If Near was asking...didn't that meant there was a good chance... Matt shook his head. NO, Mello was still alive; he couldn't have died, not after what had happened. He sent a text message back to Near. If he was, I wouldn't tell you. He received a response soon after, I'm sorry for your loss, Matt. The red head's eyes widened. What did Near mean by that?

--

Over the next few days, a wave of depression had made its way into Mello's conscious. It had been so long sense he had talked to anyone and Matt still hadn't come back. Mello was starting to wonder if he ever would. Mello imagined himself just like his mother, waiting for her husband's return from a car crash that had killed him. Eventually she hung himself from the ceiling in the bathroom, only to be found by her young son. Mello sighed, wallowing in his own thoughts as he crawled into to futon. The bedroom with all of Matt's things in it was his favorite room second only to the bathroom. Mello had let the house grow cold, not bothering to restock the fire.

--

Matt gave a slight growl as he hung up the phone. He really hadn't come back. All of his mob contacts were just as clueless as he was. Matt slammed his fist into the wall. "Mello..." He grabbed his black riding jacket and keys and walked out of the apartment. He went down to the garage and walked over to his bike. He had left his car with Mello at the house. He had walked and hitch-hiked his way back to the city, where he had used what money he had to rent an apartment. He held down a "safe" job and had been in hiding these last two months. It was boring, he missed the rush of being in danger, but most of all he missed Mello. Everything about the blonde. He still loved him.

He tore out of the parking garage. There was only one more place he could think of to check. Maybe there was a slight possibility that Mello never even left the house. Matt tore down the road, breaking all speed laws. He soon hit the country roads, where no one cared how fast or how dangerous you drove. There was only one thought on the male's mind. 'Mello.'

--

Mello sneezed. He had been waking up every hour or so. Shivering, he made an unpleasant noise as he tried to clear his nose. A cold had been setting in for awhile, but until recently it hadn't bothered the blonde. Mello felt miserable, trying to warm himself as he fell in and out of sleep. Awful dreams plagued him as he remembered old conversations with people, mainly Matt. Occasionally, he would dream himself finding Matt hanging from the bathroom ceiling, dead. No matter what he did, he couldn't get the rope off his neck and all he did was hang there. Mello shivered again, unable to warm himself.

--

Matt pulled off onto the somewhat familiar road to Mello's parents house. He stopped and got off the bike, not even bothering to make sure it was okay. The car was still there. He ran to the door. There was a chance, a better chance then before. He opened the door. The house was freezing. Doubt shuddered through his body with the cold, there's no way Mello would stay in a place so cold. The male lived for warm temperatures. Still Matt had to be sure. He checked the lower floor, before going upstairs. Fear installed on him horrible images of things that could not have happened. His heart was hammering in his chest. He stopped in front of the bed room, the door was slightly shut. He opened it, he saw the suitcase, his eyes flitted to the futon, there was something curled up underneath a mound of blankets. Matt walked closer to it. "Mello?"

Mello lay twisted in another one if his dreams. This one felt so real, as if Matt was right next to him. He didn't move, afraid the dream would turn into one where Matt would disappear and he would be found where Mello feared the most. He was breathing heavy, in the throws of a bad fever.

Matt moved closer to the futon pulling the covers away from the lump. It was Mello. Matt sighed in relief. He was alive. Matt frowned as he looked over the blonde. He was paler then usually and there was a light flush to his cheeks. Matt touched his forehead; the younger male was burning up. Matt pulled off his coat and wrapped it around Mello as best he could. The blonde was sick with a fever. Matt watched him for moment, quickly realizing that the blonde was having a fever induced dream. Those were never pleasant. Matt layed down next to Mello pulling the blonde close to him and throwing the blankets over both of them. "Mello...it's going to be alright...I'll protect you...I'm not leaving ever again."

Mello shook, his dream leading him into the bathroom to find Matt. He tired franticly to free him, in hopes that he wasn't really dead. Mello cried out, wailing for Matt to wake up and be alright. Slowly and quietly, he woke from the dream. At first he felt his grip on the broken phone and felt safe, but tensed when he felt someone next to him. Opening his eyes slightly he saw Matt lying next to him. Mello nearly wanted to cry, feeling as though he would never escape from these torturous dreams. Matt wouldn't be here, and the next time he woke up this imaginary Matt would be gone. Lazily, Mello placed the phone in the fake Matt's hand. "You left this here." he said before falling back to sleep.

Matt looked at the phone. He had thrown it at the wall, and it was basically destroyed. Why had Mello kept it? Had it been his last hold on the hope that Matt would return. Guilt washed over the elder boy. He had been away for two months living a new life, meeting new people, while Mello stayed here, waiting for him to come back. Matt bit his lip, feeling his heart clench. He didn't even care that it was Mello that had sent him away. Something about his departure and stirred something in Mello and old memory that kept the boy clinging tightly to him. He felt the need to comfort and reassure Mello that he was real, that he had really come back. He kissed Mello's cheek holding him tighter. He started to sing softly, "Wise men say...only fools rush in...but I can't help, falling in love with you. Shall I stay, would it be a sin, if I can't help falling in love with you."

Mello's fever took another two days to break. Matt had found him at its worst point, and slowly Mello was starting to feel better. His conscious had eluded him the two days, still thinking Matt was just a new string of dreams that were ever present. Occasionally, he would wake up and mumble something, but normally fell right back to sleep. On the third day he woke, rested and willing to get up. Once he opened his eyes, light flooded his senses and he guessed that it was about mid afternoon.

Matt had not left Mello once during those two days, nursing him back to heath with what limited supplies they had. He had spent most of his time watching the blonde sleep, wondering what was going through his head, barely sleeping himself. Currently Matt was half asleep; his body had become used to a regular sleep schedule over the past two months and was fighting with his brain's decision to stay awake.

Mello felt like his skin was sweaty, probably from his fever breaking. What really confused him was that his back felt warm, as if another heat source was next to him. Rolling over, Mello's heart leapt out of his chest. Matt!? He knew he wasn't dreaming anymore. Matt seemed too real. Mello just lay there feeling like a deer in the headlights. This couldn't be real, not after two months. Why would he come back? Not after all the things they said to one another. Mello finally noticed that he had Matt's coat wrapped tightly around him. He fingered the soft white fur with shaky hands, still unsure of what to do. Slowly he inched closer to Matt, putting his head against the man's chest. The heart beat was steady.

Matt felt Mello shift against him. He opened his eyes slightly looking down at the blonde. He wasn't sure what to say or if he should say anything. It looked like Mello's fever had finally broken so they would be able to leave the house and continue working on the Kira case. Matt had kept up with the news of the case, just incase Mello came searching for him, pulling rank and have him help end the case. The red head never thought that Mello would be here, by himself. 'I can't believe you stayed...I can't believe that you waited for me.'

Mello clung to Matt, starting to worry that this was way too good to be true and that the second he took his eyes off the man he would just disappear. Mello enjoyed this feeling of being near someone alive. Matt was so warm, unlike the cold house. He was breathing, his chest's slight rise and fall was proof enough. Mello looked up, making eye contact with Matt. He felt like screaming and shouting, like giving Matt a good smack for just leaving him. Mello felt like maybe he was on the verge of tears, and he could laugh at how Matt came back like an obedient puppy. Instead he just smiled, clinging desperately hoping Matt wouldn't leave. "Welcome back."

"I'm sorry it took me so long..." murmured Matt. He could feel the younger male cling tighter to his shirt, pressing closer to his body. The red head adjusted his arms wrapping Mello in a soft embrace. He was tempted to lie there with him forever. What did the rest of the world matter to them? Everyone thought Mello was dead and only Near had any idea where Matt had been. He didn't like the boy, but he knew that Near would consider him dead if he didn't show up for a while.

Mello yawned, and if possible, pressed closer. He had lacked none fever induced warm for so long; Matt's natural heat was comforting. "I didn't want to leave without you." He closed his eyes, struggling with himself. "Are you really back?"

Matt lifted Mello's chin so he could look into his eyes. "Yeah...I am." He leaned down and kissed Mello's lips softly as if to reinforce the words.

Mello kissed back, parochially shocked at how solid and warm Matt's lips were. Half of him still expected the next time he went to touch Matt, for his hand to pass right through him. Maybe he would just disappear into thin air.

Matt broke the kiss and smiled at Mello, "I have an apartment not to far from here. We could go...there..." He paused; Mello was looking at him with the oddest expression on his face. Like was trying to decide if he was real or not. "Mello? Are you okay?"

Mello let go of Matt, his mood changing in a heartbeat. "I'm..." He was suddenly angry at this fake Matt. He was just trying to lead him away from the house. Mello had to wait for the real Matt to come back. But that wouldn't happen because the real Matt was mad, and just needed some time to cool off. Mello decided he had had enough, and tried to stand. Not moving very much for the past few days had not been a good idea and Mello was trying in vain to work his shaky legs.

Matt stood, grabbing a hold of Mello, trying to steady him. "Mello...you probably shouldn't be moving too much, you did just come out of a fever. We don't have to leave...if you don't want to." Matt could tell that Mello was annoyed, but he couldn't figure out if it was something he did or not.

Mello pulled away, only succeeding in throwing himself off balance and falling backwards. He was just making himself more and more upset. "He's not back yet." He said softly. Mello clenched on to the cross around his neck as he made another desperate attempt to get up. "You're not really him! He's gonna come back..." Mello stumbled backwards again, like a hurt animal. His body was already feeling tired from all the movement.

Matt gave Mello a pained look. "Mello..." How could he convince him that he was really back? It seemed that something in Mello's mind had unhinged after all. 'What am I going to do?' He cast his mind for something he could say to convince Mello that he was the real deal.

Mello took steps until his back hit the wall. Panting slightly, he slid down until he was in a sitting position with his knees drawn up to his chest. He looked up at Matt with a look that said he had expected him to disappear like some ghost. Feeling a substantial difference in temperature, he shivered. The fires hadn't been restocked in days, and the house seemed much warmer from under the blankets.

Matt moved closer to Mello. He knelt in front of the blonde. "Mello...tell me what's going through your head." He was still trying to figure out how to convince Mello that he was real.

Mello twisted and turned the necklace in his hands. Matt had given this to him. "I didn't mean it..." Mello's thoughts were sporadic, like firefly's disappearing and reappearing in the dark. "I couldn't help myself." All the months' events were crashing down on him. "Why didn't he come back?" He laced his fingers in his hair, holding his head. "Please don't do that. I don't want it I swear." Mello was whispering now. "I'm sorry..."

Matt felt his heart clench. 'Mello.' He felt like he was on the verge of tears. "Don't...don't apologize...you don't need to. Mello...what can I say to prove to you that I'm really here." He reached out to touch Mello. "Mello..."

Mello's head snapped up at the feel of Matt touching his arm. He stared at him with a look like he had just noticed the man's presence. He felt like he was flickering in and out of dreams. He had wanted Matt to come back, but his mind wouldn't let him forget what had driven the man away. Mello's head started to spin, the room tipping from side to side like a rocking ship. How long had he been in bed? His body must still be tired. Mello's mind kept echoing the sound of Matt throwing his phone against the wall and running out of the house.

The red head was lost. He didn't know what to do and he felt like shouting. Shaking Mello and telling him to snap out of it. This wasn't the Mello he knew, where was the cruel calculating man that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted? Where had the "real" Mello gone? Matt was finding that he disliked this Mello, the one who reminded him of a frightened child. Mello had never acted like this before, not even at the Whammy house. He was always cruel, always calculating, always on a short fuse, always eating chocolate, always competing with Near, always trying to be the best. That was the man Matt fell in love with and that was the man Matt wanted back. The knowledge that he had, had a big part in the destruction of Mello's personality scared him and pissed him off. For the life of him he couldn't figure out how the hell to snap Mello out of what ever he was stuck in, reliving. Matt had never really thought Mello to be stable mentally but he had also never thought that the blonde could loose it like this.

Mello cringed, reaching an arm out to the man in front of him. "Matt..." He felt dizzy, and like he was being swallowed by his own thoughts. He just needed something to hold on to. Maybe this Matt was real, he hadn't disappeared yet. Mello loved the fact that he was here and also hated that he might not be real.

Matt grabbed his hand pulling the younger male closer. He wrapped his other arm around his waist. "Mello...do you honestly think he'll come back?" Matt was trying the only thing he could think of. He was always good at annoying Mello. He was throwing all caution to the wind with this; however, this could just make things worse. "That fight was horrible...and he left you in this house all alone. Why wait for him? When you could join me." Matt hoped Mello psyche was screwed up enough to distort his image, he was sounding like Near on purpose. "We'll catch Kira, and then go on being L together. You can't have forgotten about the case that killed L, Mello. Come on, even I know you are not that idiotic."

Mello choked. Matt's voice had changed, and all of a sudden his hands on Mello were no longer welcome. His mind screamed, giving off a loud buzzing sound in Mello's ears. What was happening? Slowly, Matt was looking more and more like Near. Mello cursed himself for almost believing the dream.

Matt concentrated on what he was saying, trying to get Mello pissed off enough to hit him. He tried not to feel the rigidness of Mello's body, the blonde flinching at his touch. It was too painful to feel even though he knew it wasn't real. "We have to catch Kira for L, Mello. You know that you need my help, let us work together to catch L's killer, the fake Kami of this world." Matt paused for a moment letting the words sink in before pressing on. "Why wait for that dog of an assassin? You can always find a new one; you have so many underground contacts. You don't need him, like you need me. Together, Mello, we will surpass L."

Mello cringed, trying to get away from what was now Near knelling in front of him. He didn't want this, not anymore. All he really wanted was for Matt to come back. He was going to wait in the house for Matt to come. Mello's conscious flickered as he heard Near's insults. "Shut up...he's...he's going to..." Mello trailed off, losing himself again. "Don't..."

Matt gave a cruel laugh, "I can't believe you're standing here like a beaten puppy waiting for his master to return. Have the roles finally switched? Or where you always his bitch, Mello. Obviously he has control over you. How could you allow that reject to put any hold on you. Discard him like you've done countless times before, believe me he's out lived his usefulness. He's probably off having some whore, not even thinking about you." Matt had heard a bit of the old Mello show through for a second. He figured out what might set the blonde off, insulting himself. Apparently that ticked Mello off more now then Near just talking about L flippantly.

Mello heard a growl. He felt the vibration in his chest, but was surprised when the sound came out of his mouth. He felt like his body was fighting back, and taking charge over his mind. "Fuck you!" He stood, legs shaking, and glared at Near. "I fucking hate you, you know that?" He used the wall for support, a hand still on the cross around his neck. "I'm nobody's dog, especially yours! He's gonna come back." Mello's fists clenched.

Matt pulled himself up in generally Near's position. He gave a soft smirk. Mello was coming back around. He lifted an eyebrow to show mockery. "Really, Mello? Considering you were always second behind me." He stood moving closer to Mello again. Just begging to be hit really. "You would be considered my second in command if we worked together. It was, after all, what L wanted, wasn't it? If you weren't so caught up in that poor excuse of an assassin you would know that. He's clouding your logical judgment with his stupidity. Think Mello, why would you rely on someone so far beneath you?"

Mello felt anger at Nears words. Had Matt really been beneath him? He had never thought of it like that. Matt may listen to him, and do the things he asked, but never was he not worthy of anything. Gritting his teeth, Mello glared at Near. The boy was digging farther and farther into his nerves. Only he could make fun of Matt! "SHUT UP!" Finally Mello couldn't take it anymore, with what little energy he had left, he struck Near as hard as he could across the face. How dare he come here to say all of this. Mello's mind seemed to falter, and Near was no linger standing there. Mello wobbled on his feet, unsure of why the person standing in front of him wasn't Near but Matt. "...M-Matt..."

Matt rubbed his bruised cheek, looking at Mello with a small smile. "Yes?" He was positive that it had worked, that the 'real' Mello had appeared, returned. He hoped that the blonde's slightly frazzled mind believed that he was real now. Despite the fact that he looked like Near previously. If Mello was on sane mind currently then everything could be explained out pretty quickly.

Whatever had cause Mello to lose control of himself previously had disappeared. He stood unsure of how he became standing, or why he felt so tired. Giving one of his traditional crazy looks, Mello observed his surroundings. He remembered that Matt and him had had a fight, and that it had been two months sense Matt had left. What had he done in the time that Matt was gone? For the life of him, Mello couldn't remember. "Why..." He cleared his throat "I see your back..." Mello grinned. "Took you long enough."

Matt gave an apologetic shrug. "I didn't think that you wanted to see me ever again..." He stood still, three feet away from Mello. The old rule had come back, that was the closet he had been allowed to get to Mello, without the blonde commenting on something about him or ordering him off to do something. Matt was hesitant to get closer, wondering where they stood now after that fight and two months spent apart. "I'm sorry..."

Mello took a step closer to Matt. He reached out, gripping the man's arm tightly, and pulled up his sleeve. "You haven't used that shit in awhile. Good." Mello let go of Matt's arm, almost smiling lovingly at the man. If Matt had stopped using, then everything might be alright.

Matt gave Mello a serious look, like he was annoyed with the man. "I went to the hospital the day after I left, I spent two and half weeks there, three days on bed rest with a nurse for hire taking care of me and the rest of the two months hiding and working a 'safe' job to support myself." He stretched his arms over his head, his shirt lifting up to show a black tattoo curved around his side. He gave Mello a little smile, lowering his arms. "You have no idea how bored I was. I was hoping you'd break down my door, casually miss shooting me in the head, and then tell me to go get you some chocolate

Mello sighed. "Yeah well..." he trailed off. Looking curiously at Matt's side, Mello wondered what could be so important that he needed it carved into his skin. Mello had never been one for tattoos but maybe that was because he had never thought about it. The scares on his face and arms were tattoos enough for the man. Mello found he couldn't take his eyes off of where the dark colored flesh had been exposed.

Matt noticed Mello staring at something on his body. He lifted an eyebrow trying to figure out what Mello was staring at. "Why are you staring at me like that?" He sounded concerned. "Something wrong?"

Mello folded his arms. "That black thing...what is it?" He wasn't sure he had seen it right, and maybe it was just a shadow in the dark room. From the angle he had seen it, it looked like a tattoo.

Matt looked at him confused for a moment. He tilted his head, "Black thing?" He smiled and lifted the right side of his shirt and pulled down his pants off his hip a little ways. "I had it done when I was released from the hospital."

Mello stared at the tattoo in Matt's skin. The black had turned out to be symbols. His jaw nearly drooped when the symbols finally clicked in his mind. They were numbers, and not just any numbers, but Mello's birthday numbers. Stepping closer again, Mello ran his fingertips over the blackened flesh. The skin felt warm, and no different then the rest of Matt. "It's my birthday." He whispered.

Matt jerked slightly when Mello ran his finger tips over the tattoo. His was bit ticklish there. He smiled at Mello, "Yeah..." He couldn't say what had made him do it, he just did it. He could say that he did it for Mello, to prove that he meant what he said. "You like it?"

Mello leaned up, covering the tattoo with his hand, and kissed Matt. He liked knowing that a part of him would always be with Matt. The skin was tender there and well defined. He liked it. He liked the tattoo a lot. For a second he contemplated getting a matching one of Matt's birthday. That thought was quickly reconsidered when Mello pictured the needle digging into his skin. Maybe not, tattoos hurt.

Matt was slightly surprised when Mello kissed him. He kissed the blonde back loosely wrapping his arms around his waist. He suddenly felt the need to get closer to Mello; he pressed himself into the kiss, gripping the male tighter around the waist.

Mello felt Matt pull him closer. It had been so long sense they had had contact with one another. Mello hadn't talked to anyone in these past two months, making Matt's presence all the more strange. Keeping one hand over the tattoo, playing with the skin, he let his other hand wrap up over Matt's shoulder. Gently, Mello bit at Matt's lower lip, enjoying the contact.

Matt gave a soft moan, opening his mouth letting Mello dominate the kiss, enjoying being so close to the blonde. He could feel Mello's hand over his tattoo playing with the skin. He moved, the touch tickled a bit, but he loved the feel of Mello's hands on his body.

Mello kissed Matt passionately, trying to remember everything about the red head that he had forgotten. The previous two months still seemed like a fog to him, but if Matt didn't seem that shocked, then there must not be anything to worry about. He lazily ran a hand up Matt's shirt, feeling his abs and chest.

Matt adjusted his hold on Mello, sliding his left hand up into his hair and his right down into his back pocket. He broke the kiss and started to kiss and nip at Mello's neck. He felt almost like a drug addict that had gotten the drug he craved after years of abstinence. It seemed almost odd to compare a person to a drug, but that was what Mello was for him.

Mello's mind reeled as he felt Matt's teeth along his neck and his hand in his back pocket. His thoughts clouded and the only thing he could concentrate on was the man holding him. Mello tugged at Matt's shirt, clothing was the only thing keeping them from being close enough. No matter how thin the material, he still couldn't feel Matt's skin.

Matt moved to aid Mello in the removal of his shirt. When his shirt was about half way off his felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He gave a little inward growl wondering who the hell would be calling him. 'I knew I should have turned it off.'

Mello had almost gotten Matt's shirt off when he heard Matt's phone ring. That in itself wouldn't have surprised him, except for the fact that the phone also vibrated. Mello gave a half yell, half moan as he felt it vibrate against him. Matt was pressed so close to him that even that little vibration was like ecstasy. "God Matt...what is that?" Mello shut his eyes tight.

"My phone..." muttered Matt, he broke away from Mello's grip and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He looked at the number, 'Restricted.' He sighed and answered the phone, "Hello?" "I do hope I gave you enough time to find Mello, I need some information from him regarding the Kira case." Matt growled, "Near..."

Mello glared daggers at the phone. How dare Near call Matt. How did he get his number? He didn't remember ever giving that number to anyone, especially Near. "What the hell does he want?" Mello clenched his fists, unhappy that Matt had moved away.

Matt looked at Mello, "He wants to talk to you." "Ah, so you have found the elusive trigger happy blonde. I was unsure if you had actually gone out to look for him or not. I had hoped that my text message would have gotten you ass in gear to go look for him, since it seemed that you were refusing to do anything on your own. I'm so glad that it had an influence on you." Matt glared at the phone, "Shut-up!"

Mello growled. "Give me that!" He took the phone from Matt. He could kind of hear Near through the phone, but the sound was too muffled to really understand what was being said. "What the hell do you want you albino bastard?"

"A little more respect from you, but that's hardly worth asking for considering you are incapable of it. In truth, I have a question about the Kira case. When your 'hide-out' was attacked you lost the death notebook to the Japanese police did you not? Of course that question has an obvious answer; you obviously lost the death notebook. I could hardly see you keeping your hands on something that important, Mello. So I suppose the real question is who did you loose the notebook to? Which police officer took it from you?"

Matt watched Mello listen to Near on the phone. He had no idea what the annoying brat was saying to the blonde, but he could tell that Mello was not happy. He contemplated switching on the bug on his phone, so he could listen in, but he figured that, that would just piss Mello off even more.

Mello frowned. "Screw you." Pulling the phone away from his ear, he closed it and shoved it back into Matt's pocket. "I hate that guy." He grumbled a little, folding his arms. "He wanted to know about the Kira case." He said after seeing Matt's questioning look.

Matt's eyes winded a bit when Mello shoved his phone back into his front pocket. He nearly jerked away from the blonde, unsure about how to react. He forced his mind to respond to what Mello had said about Near. "Figures..." He paused for a moment looking at Mello. "I have new information on Light Yagami and Misa Amane...if you're interested." He wanted Mello to know that he wasn't slacking these to months, he hadn't gotten a lot of information, mostly stuff from the news that he had taped, but it was better then nothing

Inwardly, Mello was laughing about Matt's reaction to the phone. "I could care less about those two." He turned, looking around the room for the suitcase. He figured they would probably be leaving the house. A small amount of sadness fell over him at the thought of leaving his family house. Though nightmares and bad memory's were based here, Mello still enjoyed being in this place. "We need to go back to the city."

Matt gave a slight nod. He let Mello's reaction about the case drop, knowing the blonde would care later, if he didn't truly now. "Currently I have an apartment just inside the city; we could stay there for tonight and move onto one of your bases." He wasn't sure what Mello would want to do, but he thought he could at least suggest something.

Mello just nodded, bending over to gather all the stuff on the floor. He had spent more then two months in the house, yet his mess was contained to just this room. Mello felt quiet, not really wanting to talk, just too numbly gather his things and leave. Vaguely he wondered if this was how he cleaned up the last time he left. Just leave everything behind.

Matt helped Mello pack up. When they were finished Matt closed the suitcase and picked it up. He looked around the room, the seemed to have gathered everything up. "Ready?" It was a surreal experience. He could understand this moment bringing back bad memories for Mello.

"Yeah…"

A/N: So that was the last chapter. From here Matt and Mello return to 'real time' in the Anime/Manga. This story took place when you didn't see them for a while. I actually don't have much to say about how this story was worked out, since it started out as a role-play between me and my friend. I got permission from her to turn it into a fanfic, but I didn't have to change much, it was more just a lot of spelling/grammar editing, which I wholly suck at I know. Hopefully I'll keep catching things as I learn to look for them. Honors Lit classes kind of skipped out on the whole grammar thing, I swear they just assumed we'd all be perfrect. ANYWAYS this will probably not be the last Death Note fic I write. I am working on another one right now, that might get posted. It's not a Yaoi though, so I know how much that disappionts you. Umm...hopefully you enjoyed this story, reviews are always nice.

Until next time,

Harkura