So, this one-shot was written over a period of about three months. Finally, I finished it! This was a request from inuyasha1618 from Quizilla.

This is my first Death Note piece in YEARS, so before even attempting this, I decided it was best to re-read the entire manga series. I remembered how much I loved it. :D

Well, enjoy and review!

Why He Likes Chocolate

Her chocolate brown eyes, the ones that had only existed for six short years, settled on his, a swirling pool of cerulean placed into two orbs. For an evanescent moment, they narrowed dangerously at her. However, the second the crimson gashes on her arms and legs became apparent, the glare disappeared and she was lifted from the dirty corner of the alley in which he had found her.

"You need to at least try to work with me here," the boy snapped, huffing a strand of blonde hair from his vision. His arm tightened around her waist, forcing her to walk.

Cars of various types honked obnoxiously at them. Some warning them to get out of the way, and others just to be a nuisance.

Under his arm, the small, malnourished girl whimpered pathetically. They both halted at the sound coming from her lips.

"Everything hurts too badly," she told him, shaking the grimy black hair from her face. It stuck to her skin with sweat, dirt, and other substances she truly had no inclination to find out about.

"Damn it," he hissed, lifting her up completely into his arms. "I've only been around you for two minutes and you're already annoying the hell out of me."

"I'm…I'm sorry," she whispered. "If I may, where are we going?"

"Don't know," he muttered, wondering about that question himself. He definitely had no home to his name, and he doubted she did either. Police reports had gone out about a missing girl who had fled from the murder spot of her parents. Luckily enough, she had lost the killer within minutes.

But that was two weeks ago. If memory served him right, from the pictures he'd seen posted on every street corner, this was that girl.

Another damn orphan, he thought to himself, juggling his gaze from the endless sidewalk in front of him and the fragile human in his arms. What exactly am I supposed to do with her?

"Hey," the girl's feeble voice addressed suddenly.

"Hm?"

"What's your name?"

"…Mihael."

An amused smirk graced her thin face. "Well, that's a funny name. It fits you, though. I'm Rea. By the way, where are we going…?" Her voice faded and her head tilted back.

Mihael, nearly tripping over his own feet, stopped to place her on the cold sidewalk. "Don't fucking die on me, Rea!" he yelled into her ear. "I'm not going to look like a killer, carrying your dead ass around!"

A soft snore from her nose reassured him that, no, he won't be carrying a dead body around. Just a sleepy girl.

:-:-:

It wasn't a fancy hotel or anything she would have probably preferred, but it was the first place Mihael found. Wammy's House, an orphanage. It made sense, a place like this for two people like them.

"What is this?"

An elderly man, in his late 60's or possibly early 70's, gazed down upon the exhausted children with an almost hidden glint of disgust in his eyes. Random children gathered around his legs, peeking over each other's heads to get a good view of the two.

"Are you stupid?" Mihael hissed. "What does it look like? She needs help, right now! Let us in!"

Such a disrespectful little monster, the elder thought irately.

"This is no hospital," he told Mihael.

"Roger," another deep male voice came in. "We do not turn down children, especially ones who need our help."

Pushing his way through, another elderly man stood before Mihael. He seemed to be older than Roger, but had a much more delicate, understanding look in his worn eyes.

"I'm Watari," he greeted, holding his arms out for Rea. "I know who this girl is. I'll take her from here."

"No, you won't," Mihael barked, taking a step away from Watari and turning his body to the side, shielding Rea from all of them.

Using his shoulder, the boy pushed his way through the crowd of kids almost his age. Some looked to be as young as three while others were obviously in their teenage years. Although they were different in age, they all were noticeably more mature than they should've been by that age. They watched him as if observing some sort of experimental ape, taking in the way he walked, how he turned so Rea was as far away from them as possible, and how he watched them in return.

"What is your name, if I may ask?" Watari asked, stepping in front of him to guide him down a hallway.

"Mihael Keehl," he answered. "Her name is Rea, but I don't know what her family name is."

A smile fell upon Watari's cracked lips. Fate has smiled on this day.

:-:-:

Months passed in the Wammy House. Within weeks of staying under that roof, Rea's physical condition had improved greatly. Her weight had returned, color came back to her cheeks, and her wounds had almost healed completely. Even still, Mihael kept an extremely close eye on her, often resulting on being picked on by the orphans his age.

"Stalking your girlfriend again, Mello?" a gawky redhead teased, using the nickname he was given on his first day in the orphanage.

Mello turned, swinging his fist right into the boy's gut. A struggled breath caught in his throat as he doubled over, folding his arms around his abdomen.

"Next time you pop off at the mouth like that, I'll make sure you won't be able to get up," Mello growled, focusing back on the pair of kids sitting on a nearby bench in an empty hallway.

Rea, or Renna, as everyone was told her call her, sat quietly with a pale child given the name Near. They said nothing to each other, until a door to the right of them opened. Mello instantly recognized the boy who came out. Both he and Near looked up to him immensely, despite their obvious dislike for each other. This person seemed to be the only thing they both could symmetrically agree on.

Considering they both were named his successor.

"Near, Renna," his odd voice addressed them. Rea hopped off the bench, bowing respectfully to him.

"Good afternoon, L," she greeted, standing tall against the man ten years older than her. Since her time in the orphanage and studying under the group of intellectual teachers, her vocabulary had grown tenfold, leaving Mello feeling rather idiotic. That was the single thing he disliked about the girl.

"What can I do for you?"

"I just have one question."

"Yes?"

"Dark chocolate, or light chocolate?"

L stared at the small child for what seemed like forever. From around the corner, Mello nibbled on his cheek impatiently. Why was he taking so long to answer? It was just a simple question. Nothing life-or-death about it.

"Which do you prefer, Renna?" L counter-asked.

"I personally enjoy dark."

"Then there you go."

Without another word, L sauntered off, muttering something to himself. From what Mello could hear, it sounded like a very long mathematical equation that somehow tied into atomic particles in the air.

:-:-:

Rea hunched over a notebook, used strictly for her personal thoughts and experiences, during a late night hour. Her desk lamp was set to "low" as not to keep her roommate awake.

A jolt of surprise forced her body to twitch as a soft knock came at her door. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she made note of the time. Nearly midnight. Everyone was supposed to be in their rooms this late.

"Mihael," she whispered, opening her door to him. Even in the dimly lit hallway, she could still see the sparkle in his blue eyes.

"One of these days, someone is going to overhear you saying that and they're going to be pissed," he replied, his hands obviously handing something behind his back.

"You know I don't care. What do you have there?" she questioned, carefully closing the door behind her.

Mello shifted his weight, moving a small brown bag from around his body. "Happy birthday," he told her, giving a small, sarcastic smile. Rea gave him a confused glance, eyeing the handwritten "13" on the bag.

"Today isn't my birthday."

"Well, you never told me when your damn birthday was, so I figured I could pick today, since its officially been seven years since I carried your heavy ass here."

A soft blush fell over her face. He remembered the exact day, she thought, taking the sack from his hands. Mihael…

Peering into it, Rea couldn't help but show that ridiculous smile she was famously known for at the orphanage; the reason why Mello sometimes went out of his way to make other people look stupid. At least twenty dark chocolate bars, bundled together with a yellow ribbon, lay at the bottom of the bag.

"Thank you so much," she mouthed, not completely sure if words actually came out or not.

"Yeah, don't mention it. Well, I'll see you at breakfast tomorr-"

"Wait," she interjected, grabbing onto his arm just as he turned to walk off. "Don't go just yet, please. I feel like we've both been so busy lately, that we haven't spent any time together."

Mello's mouth formed into a deep frown. "I have to go study for a test tomorrow. I'll be damned if I let that joke of a genius, Near, get a better score than me."

"Please, Mihael?" she begged. "I truly miss you."

An exasperated sigh flew from his mouth. "Fine."

"We'll take a walk. If we're quiet enough, we can hop out the window without waking Nia up." Without giving Mello a chance to reply, she opened the door to her room and placed the bag on her desk, slipping one chocolate bar from it.

As quietly as possible, the two hurried around the sleeping girl's bed and boosted each other out the window, an action serving for three punishments. One: being awake nearly three hours after lights-out. Two: sneaking out of the building nearly three hours after lights-out. And three: being in the opposite gender's dorm wing nearly three hours after lights-out. However, that one only applied to Mello.

"Do you want a piece?" Rea asked, snapping the candy into two pieces as they walked along the garden, which was normally taken care of by the younger children. It was also a place where the two of them spent much time together after first coming to the orphanage.

"N-No," Mello answered, his voice cracking slightly.

Screw being fourteen, he thought with disdain.

"Have you ever had chocolate?" she questioned as she popped a piece into her mouth, sucking hungrily on it.

"No, and I don't plan on it. All it does it make you fat."

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"Did I say that, Rea?"

A soft chuckle rumbled her chest. "You haven't called me Rea since I got my nickname."

"Then be flattered."

They fell into a silence, then. The only sounds that could be heard were the strange callings of birds far off in the distance and the gravel crunching under their feet. After a while, they came to the end of the garden; a circular area surrounded by patches of lilies.

"Doesn't it feel strange without L here?" Rea asked. She sat down, placed the remaining chocolate in her lap, and stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing her ankles over each other.

"I guess," Mihael responded, sitting himself next to her. His eyes settled on the candy, and then slowly trailed up to her face.

Things about the girl were changing rapidly. She no longer had the face of a child. Instead, her nose was becoming narrower and her cheekbones were more defined. Her hips were growing wider, along with a few other parts of her body. He often wondered to himself what she would look like in another year.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, meeting his eyes.

"I'm going to try something. Don't freak out or scream or anything girls do when they're scared."

"Um, all right then."

He scooted closer, small pebbles pressing into his palm somewhat painfully, and swallowed nervously. Rea just faced him as if nothing was happening.

Why is this so hard? he thought. I've watched other kids do it before.

With a quick mental countdown, he leaned forward, pressing his lips hard onto hers. Both their eyes widened until they fell into a gentle close, their bodies pushing against the other. Minutes passed of laughing and fingers lacing up through hair. Finally, the two of them pulled away from the experiment, panting softly.

"Well?" Rea urged, wiping her bottom lip with the back of her hand.

"Well, I think I really like how dark chocolate tastes," Mello answered, going in for another kiss.

:-:-:

"What? What do you mean he's dead?" Mello snapped at Roger, slamming his large palms on the top of the desk. Almost a full year could really push a kid through puberty.

Near, who seemed unaffected by the news, continued to fit puzzle pieces into the right spot, flexing his bare toes.

"Y-You mean he was killed? By Kira? Is that it?" Mello yelled, leaning in so his face was only inches away from the old man's. He could see the beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. Conflict with the younger generation had always caused him stress.

"Most likely," Roger answered simply.

Outraged, the blonde grabbed his shoulders tightly. "He promised he would see Kira dead! Are you sure L was killed?"

"Mello, please calm yourself…"

Behind him, Near had flipped the puzzle board over, spilling the pieces onto the ground. "If you can't beat the game, if you can't solve the puzzle, you're nothing but a loser."

From outside the closed doors to the office, Rea waited patiently, her ear pressed against them. Through the oak, it was very difficult to hear the conversation, but she could still understand most of it, thanks to Mello's tendency to yell.

"That's fine, Roger. Near can be L's successor."

Rea's mouth fell open. He's giving it up so easily? she wondered to herself. But that doesn't make sense. What is he trying to do?

"Unlike me, Near will calmly and unemotionally solve the puzzle. I'm leaving the orphanage now."

"Mello!"

"I'm almost fifteen anyway, Roger."

Close footsteps caused Rea to scurry to the side, hoping the darkness of the hallway would hide her from whoever was coming out. As soon as Mello's figure appeared, she advanced toward him, a desperate look in her eyes.

"I'm going with you," she told him. There was no use in fighting against her. Her mind was already made up.

A devious smirk on Mello's face sent chills through her body.

"Oh, I know you are. I'll be damned if I'm leaving this place without you."