So, I was sitting listening to Song for Clay Disappear by Bloc Party… and I realized just how much those super guitars reminded me of Mello. Yes, dear, sweet Mello. It got me inspired, and so I wrote. Hope it isn't too cliché!
Chapter One: Of Pending Death
Mello always had a mad stare, the kind that made a piece of you reel in fear while the other succumbed to admiration. Such a piercing gaze he had that was as wide and observant as L's, and yet was so diverse. Mello's were fiery, filled with a sinful mixture of passion and hatred while L's were somewhat innocent and curious, like he was constantly searching for something. No, Mello was much more the equivalent of a lunatic. Not of the rambling sort, most certainly, but of the type that seeks to harm or kill anything that upsets it in the slightest. He was very much a bomb, smirking silently as the seconds until detonation rapidly tick away.
Oh, how jealous of him I had been. From behind my shield of toys I would observe him prancing about with the other children of the Wammy House. So many days I would stare, coveting the life he carried with him, and the laughs he shared with the ones he called friends. He even had one that he seemed to do everything with, a certain young boy named Matt. I often found myself jealous of even him, third in line for position of L's successor. Secretly I yearned to be friends with Mello, to have someone to turn to when all else failed me. His life seemed perfect to me, his only worry was to catch up to my pace. I never thought that so hard, especially for someone as bright and utterly mad as Mello.
I believed with all my heart I had the much more grueling goal as the leading protégée to L, and in ways I was correct. The objective lay before me like a snaking chasm leading to a world kissed with light, a realm of praise and admiration. Only, every time I reached forwards to it, the glorious light would narrowly escape my grasp and leave L's terrible gaze looming just before me. To be the perfect imprint of L, somewhere within me I knew it was an unfeasible task.
However, that was then, when I was a young boy. When L was a god to me. As I aged, I drew a sharp, firm line between adoration and respect. I grew bombastic of my abilities and sought not only to become L's equal, but to surpass him. Ah, yes, that was around the time when the glitter of success faded and it became a most terrible obsession. Anyone with eyes could see the respect…and the hatred I held for L. Especially Mello.
That day the orphans of the Wammy House had been quite upset due to an abrupt shower that overcame their game of football. They were forced to file back into the orphanage, whining like small children who didn't get their way. I thought them foolish, and had been hiding behind a fort of blue Legos the entire day, building a skyscraper out of spades in order to complete my city of cards. I chewed on my lip as I cautiously set a final card just at the top, the ultimate piece to my expansive city.
I hadn't heard him come in, but his presence was evident as blue Legos scattered everywhere, crashing around me with a most resilient clatter. I couldn't suppress a gasp of shock and disgust as one of the small, sapphire cubes hurtled into my wondrous skyscraper. Like dominos, the cards gave way to one another, their fragile figures tumbling into more buildings which in turn tumbled into houses which proceeded to demolish my entire day's work. For a moment, I sat very, very still. The shock of the worthlessness of my labor pulled at my mind, causing gears to whirl and fasten and click. I knew that was the reaction Mello had expected of me.
"Isn't that a shame? Looks like you did all that work for nothing, Near," Mello commented almost casually. His Converse brushed bits of blue and thin, laminated sheets of paper out of his path as he drew closer to me. "Just like your ambitions to exceed L will be for nothing in the end. You will build your empire up, up, up, before it crumbles down when you realize that only one person can beat L, and you will discover without doubt, Near, that that person will be me."
He lowered his face to mine, and I gazed into those smoldering eyes. Subconsciously I was concerned about my own eyes, of all things. Mine were not wide like L's, but rather almond shaped and narrow. I had unexpressive eyes, quiet and dull. However, like both Mello's and L's my eyes were a deep abyss of black shadow, made so that they might analyze each and every detail laid before them. It was then that I realized, as I was piecing apart our differences and similarities; when suddenly, everything fell onto the table with a strident clatter. Mello and I, we were pieces, fragments of L's being. My mind had always led me to believe that we were something like dolls made to be just like L, only never meant to be quite as good. I'd thought I had to repair myself, work until blood came like sweat through my pores. But it hit me at what a fool I'd been to not have seen it. Mello and I were one half of the same coin, I had simply been fortunate enough to claim heads.
"What are you staring at, freak?" Mello chided after I didn't respond for lingering moments. I lowered my gaze to examine a card slumbering nearby. It was the King of Spades, and laying neatly aside it, the King of Diamonds. I picked them up gently, as if I were cradling some frail living creature. "What the hell are you doing?" Mello always got aggressive when he didn't understand someone's actions.
"You and I," I began softly, whispering such an odd tone it scared even myself, "we are the same card, just different class. Compared to the lesser cards we are almighty, untouchable. But then…" I pulled the Ace of Clubs from the rubble of my great empire. "L, the Ace, casts his deep shadow and we are compared to his perfection. Alone, we fail in his glamour." The smile inching upon my ghostly face was peculiarly not a wicked smirk like my customary grin. No, this smile was a most delicate and genuine one. I could tell Mello was frightened at seeing me like this, disgusted, but I could care less. "Don't you see Mello? Together we are not only perfect, but we are something much more. We are far greater than L could ever be! Together, we could defeat L once and for all!"
Happiness. Often affiliated with a smile and laughter. I couldn't believe that now, in front of a most distraught and taken aback face, I would witness such a miraculous feeling. Mello, however, would not stand for any joy in my heart whatsoever. I knew, staring up at the crease of his frown and the glitter dancing in his eyes. Oh yes, my happiness would be cut short without doubt. The fleeting smile fled my face and Mello's eyes, oh how the flame danced there! It was a flame of hatred overcoming his senses and causing him to sputter with resentment, with anger.
Mello barked, "Work w-with you? Ha! What a joke. I can beat L without your help, Near. I'll defeat both of you, alone!" He did seem utterly insane now. His entire face distorted into a scrambled mass of narrowed eyes, furrowed brow, a twisted frown. We remained there for what seemed an eternity, raging a silent war that could not be won by either force.
"Mello!" We both jumped slightly, turning ever slowly to greet the one who disturbed our battle. It was Matt hovering in the doorway. I clearly remember the confused expression labeled on his face as he took a huff from something forbidden on the grounds of the Wammy House. "What the hell are you t- never mind. I don't think I really care to hear. Listen, I've got a copy of GTA I snuck in. Let's go, Mello." Mello nodded and proceeded to follow Matt, he never would back down from any sort of challenge.
"Where did you get that?" I echoed after them, to this day, I still don't know what possessed me to ask the question. "Don't you know that's not allowed?" Matt just turned around with a roguish look presiding on his face. His brown eyes glittered threateningly, as if he was daring me to repeat myself.
The blond interrogated with a snooty air about him, "Now, Near. You aren't going to go ratting on our dearest Matt, are you?" I simply shrugged with an indifferent manner and scrupulously began to plaster the blue cubes together once again. "Come on, Matt. Let's leave him with his toys. We've got a game to play." Mello dashed off, but Matt hesitated in the doorway for a moment. I didn't look up for a while, I just continued about my own business, connecting the blocks as dutifully as a bricklayer. Finally, his presence was impossible to ignore and I looked up, catching him square in the eye.
"I heard your conversation. You know that'll never work, Near," I couldn't tell by Matt's tone what he was trying to get at, for he seemed far away and weary. However, his actions spoke with a force much more powerful than any words could ever present. He dropped the cigarette on the floorboards, placed his foot on the deadly thing, and ground it into a fine, gray powder. With that, he exited the room. Behind him, a feeling of cold hatred hovered in his place.
The remainder of the day passed with a quiet ease. With diligence I repaired my fort, the plastic azure gleaming first in sunlight, then moonlight. At the stroke of nine I was sent from my completed project and to my room to get ready for bed, along with my roommate, Jackal. After brushing my teeth and cleaning my face, I clambered into bed. As always, I slipped into sleep by the incessant chattering of Jackal who never seemed to put his wretched cell phone down.
My dreams came in a haze of nightmares. Blue blocks scattered across a black void and a teacup tumbled from the sky, shattering in their center. The founder of the Wammy House stared with unseeing eyes at the world of death, a shard of glass dug deep within his heart. I watched with horrified fascination as he crumpled to the ground, where he laid completely still. The void swallowed the images whole and millions of voices chanted Kira…Kira… softly in the distance. There! L's eyes gazed down upon me, his smile wise beyond his years. The grin drifted somewhere far away as his eyes slowly began to close. I tried desperately to call out to him, to tell him not to close his eyes. I couldn't understand why he wouldn't listen to me.
A spoon fell from his hand, catching some concealed ray of light in a glimmer of silver. With that, L vanished into a milky black ooze. I felt myself being tugged away from the horrible place, and I did not struggle against the force. I blinked, and I was in the room Mello and Matt shared. They were playing some sort of sadistic videogame simultaneously. Their eyes were wide and their faces set with a lust for bloodshed. The blue glare of the television reflected with an eerie glow upon their faces, and soon Mello and Matt drifted away and all I could see was the flickering screen of the television.
They were in a decrepit city where buildings looked as if they might crumble at a single touch. A sound of sirens flooded like a constant through the place, and the buildings stared on with shattered eyes. Two men ran down the littered road like hell's fire burned at their feet, and following them were men clad in cobalt uniforms and sporting pistols. Matt's character, a rather aloof looking fellow with a mop of black hair and light stubble, stopped suddenly in the middle of the street. Mello allowed his scrawny, ragged looking man to continue fleeing as Matt explained his scheme to escape their wrath.
The police force swarmed over Matt's character like a pack of wolves cornering prey, and it seemed Matt knew there was no way out of his punishment. Without warning, he withdrew a pistol and threateningly placed the barrel against his temple. The character Mello played apologized with remorse as the trigger was pulled and a roar of fury shattered the fragile air. I stared in awe as Mello's character proceeded to run away from the gathering of police. Along the side of the road a sort of bulky van slumbered in wait. Mello's character shoved the burly man sitting in the driver's side out of the van and onto the pavement below. With the wicked grin of a madman, Mello brought the vehicle to a ridiculous speed. He swerved to and fro along the lanes with the grace only a harebrained young man could possess.
The car was speeding towards a colossal edifice, and Mello wasn't even trying to turn the podgy van about. A sickening crunch and a blinding flash of gold and red signified the explosion of the vehicle as it impacted with the building. Game Over claimed the blackening screen, before revealing large letters that read+50 bonus points for Kira! And then another that cried+100 bonus points for Near! I didn't understand why Kira and myself were listed on the screen. I hadn't played the game, and Kira certainly was nowhere around us.
"Mello, why am I on y-" I began, only to cut myself short. Mello and Matt were in no position to respond to my inquiry. Matt's figure slouched on the leather couch, arms dangling lifelessly at his side. A puddle of scarlet soaked his nightshirt where many holes punctured through to the flesh. His mahogany eyes stared with a startled glance through the yellow film affixed over his goggles, and from his gaping mouth blood trickled like a burbling stream of crimson. I gasped as several guns rained down before me, landing noisily on the floorboards at my feet. My scrutinizing eyes sought Mello. He sat stiffly with his hand clutching at his heart, and his mouth warped into a grimace of agony. His bizarre eyes were firmly shut against the pain he had endured. Everything disintegrated into an infinite black, excepting Mello's face which lingered in the swelling shadow…
I woke up the next morning to Jackal's irritable screams. With a heavy sigh I rolled out of the covers and peered over the edge of the bunk to see what the commotion was. There stood Linda, sheepishly presenting a battered cell phone to a most astonished Jackal. He had a green tint to his skin and his eyes bulged like he was going to hurl.
"What happened?" Jackal shrieked, looking almost as crazed as Mello. I propped my head on my hand and observed the show with interest.
Linda shamefacedly looped a finger around her champagne ringlets as she scuffed at the ground with her toe, "I washed it." Jackal looked like he'd been slapped. "I'm sorry! You left it in your pocket last night, and I...didn't know…" Her face spelled out how her heart was snapping in two. Linda was a very sensitive girl, prone to going to tears at even a hint of conflict. As level-headed and callous in nature as I generally was, I still couldn't stand to see her cry.
"Linda, have they served breakfast yet?" I questioned while twirling a bit of hair around my finger.
She had looked quite surprised to find that someone else was in the room with them. A rose flush crossed her face as she explained that, yes, breakfast had already been served. I scaled down the ladder then, and upon reaching the bottom grabbed Linda by the wrist. Her pallid green eyes widened slightly. At this I inwardly noted that she had too much shock and fear to be a capable successor to L.
I cleared my throat, and then I requested of Linda in a cool voice, "I don't want to go by myself. Won't you come with me?" Jackal's mouth set in a grim disdain and his eyes narrowed to slits. I ignored him, but Linda regarded him nervously. After a moment's hesitation Linda nodded curtly and began to lead me out of the room.
After successfully rescuing Linda from Jackal's rage, and having a light breakfast I found myself once more in the recreational room where my blue Lego fort presided. The cards were still scattered about in every direction possible, but something odd sat in the midst of all the wreckage. A small, poorly constructed house of cards settled there. It stared with a childlike inquisitiveness at me as I knelt aside it. At closer inspection, a white puzzle piece revealed itself from underneath its base.
As if I were batting away a particularly pesky insect, I swatted the cards aside to reveal a large pile of white puzzle pieces and their holder. In the bottom left corner of the holder a slip of paper was neatly tucked. I laced a strip of my pale hair around my finger as I gently removed the note from its resting place. Neat, crisp letters formed elegant but firm words on the small section of paper. It read:
Near:
I've been told you like puzzles, so I had Watari prepare this for you. Perhaps it will prove somewhat of a challenge?
-L
I remember a feeling of pride melt across my senses. L actually knew who I was, he even knew of my love for puzzles. I wondered what else he knew about me, as I picked up one of the odd white pieces. It was a difficult puzzle, indeed. Only three pieces had the black imprint of an L on their surface. The rest were all the same, small pieces swathed in a bath of ivory. My mind worked swiftly, calculating the size, the wedges and nooks of the pieces, and the edges that they might hold. I worked diligently, and apparently lost track of time as I heard laughter echoing in the hall.
"Hey, Near!" it was a collection of children clustered about the doorway. "Want to come play some football with us? We need a new goalie, 'cause Casper broke his leg."
A cold look crossed my face as I glanced up at them. It was a girl named Polly and her group. They were some of the stupidest children at the Wammy House. "No thank you," I declined tersely. Like disturbed hens they all began to cluck and gawk.
"Whatever, let's go," Polly motioned the others to follow her. Some muttered 'freak' and other rude terms under their breath as they past. However, their insults could not tear me down then. I felt too swollen with pride to be brought down by their childish name-calling. I continued working on the puzzle until it was late in the afternoon.
Author's Note: Well, I do hope anyone who might have read this enjoyed it. I tried to get under Near's skin, but I'm not so sure I did a good enough job. I didn't get too descriptive with overall looks on anyone, because Near doesn't seem the type that really cares about that. (To me, anyway.) Seems more like he would be more concerned about how smart they were. So anyway, please leave a comment. I would really appreciate them on my first fan fiction!