It had been four years since Mello had left Whammy's house. No… it was more than that. It was four years after he had left him behind. Near played quietly with his toys on the floor of the SPK building. Everyone else was working away on this and that. Halle had gone home earlier to relax. One of Near's robots clattered to the floor.

Today felt different for some reason. Near couldn't quite put his finger on it. His mind was wandering towards far off places as his fingers played along the fallen robot. They so very close to catching Kara now, but that wasn't really what bothered him. Involuntarily Near's hand traveled to his Pajama shirt pocket. It rested lightly on the cloth so as not to injure the precious trinket that lay inside. Some great change would take place on this cold November night. Near knew it.

The door slammed shut behind him. Near paid it no mind. Roger appeared much more worried about the situation. Near kept his mind at ease. The young boy slowly gathered the white puzzle pieces scattered on the floor and popped them into place. He was almost finished.

Near knew there couldn't be anything to really be worried about. Mello always threw these kinds of temper tantrums. The drama would pass as soon as Mello stopped his emotional rampage. The older boy couldn't possibly leave. Where on earth would blonde go? All he had was this place, just as Near did.

Near picked up his finished puzzle and quietly headed to the door. Roger hadn't spoken since Mello's sudden departure. Near decided that the old man was thinking the situation over. Thinking things over was the sensible thing to do in Near's opinion.

The white-haired boy walked towards his room. He avoided the other children in his wake. They ran past the other boy as if he were a shadow. Near reached his door and balanced the puzzle in one arm as he turned the knob. He was not surprised what he saw taking place in his shared room.

An angry Mello was stuffing seemingly everything he owned into a red duffel bag. The blonde stomped around the room snatching random objects from their resting places. Near ignored Mello's overdramatic behavior and headed towards his own bed. Near set his puzzle gently on the bed so as not to disturb any of the pieces.

The sound of shattering glass ripped Near's attention away from his puzzle. In Mello's rush to escape, the older boy had rammed his side into the desk causing a picture frame to fall off and shatter against the ground. Mello simply stepped over the broken frame to pick up a pair of pants before retreating back to his duffel bag. Near repressed a sigh.

Near reached up to twirl a bit of his hair as he watched Mello continue on with his foolishness. Mello crouched down so he was able to peer under his bed. He seemed to use all his effort to ignore Near. The younger boy was aware that Mello knew he was here. Mello pulled a box from under the bed. He had a bit of trouble holding it and stepped back too far. His foot was sliced by a shard of glass. A curse escaped the blonde's lips.

Near finally decided it was time to intervene. This had gone on quite enough. Mello hopped on one foot and then deposited the box onto his bed. The older boy flipped around and flopped onto the bed so he could examine his injured foot. While Mello did this, Near had made his way to the broken frame.

"Mello is acting ridiculous…" Near commented as he pulled the photograph delicately from its broken frame. Mello just hissed at Near before bringing his attention back to his foot. Near did sigh this time as he placed the photograph into his pajama pocket for the time being.

Mello apparently gave up on trying to stop his foot from bleeding and covered it with a sock before sliding it into his shoe. It seemed Mello was determined this time to keep up with this charade. Near inched away from the broken glass and watched as Mello attempted to zip up his bloated duffel bag. Mello hefted the bag over his shoulder and went to the dresser to get his rosary. The necklace slipped over his neck. Then Mello went to grab the box on his bed. Near stared at him.

"Look loser! Nothing you can say or do will keep me from leaving this god forsaken place!" Mello said with a scowl as he scooped up the box into his arms. Near continued to look at Mello with an indifferent expression. He was used to the blonde being unreasonable when frustrated.

"I am not and shall not stop Mello from doing something that he wishes to do," Near said plainly. Mello seemed displeased by Near's answer. The younger boy had no idea why. Perhaps Mello had wanted someone to contradict. Perhaps all he really wanted was someone to tell him that what he was doing was a mistake. Mello hadn't listened to Roger, why would it matter if Near said anything at all.

Mello did one last survey of the room. His expression appeared as if he was unsure about what was going to happen next. Near stood there patiently observing. The younger boy had found his way back to his own bed and was now comfortably sitting down. Mello glanced over at Near. They made eye contact briefly before Mello turned away. The blonde boy disappeared behind the door frame.

Hours passed as Near sat on his bed waiting. He had never waited so long for something before. Surely, Mello would have given up this game by now. These tantrums never lasted this long. The sound of footsteps drew closer to the door. Near let a small smile escape his lips. He knew it. Mello was finally returning at last.

"Mello shouldn't let his emotions get the best of him as I have stated so many times before. You've almost missed dinner—" Near's speech was cut short as he eyed the figure standing in the doorway. It was not Mello, but someone just as familiar.

Matt stood in the doorway. The other young boy looked to have been crying for a while. Near found this curious. What could have possibly upset him? The red-head said nothing as he inched towards Mello's bed. Matt then settled down on the mattress as he curled into a ball. Near watched the scene in fascination. The room grew quiet again.

"Mello's not coming back…" Matt said softly from the other bed as he sniffled. Near would have scoffed if it was in his nature to do so. This boy was Mello's friend. No wonder he would also succumb to such emotion. Near hopped off his own bed and went towards Mello. The white-haired boy sat himself on the very corner of the mattress. His focus was set on the red-head. Matt peeked his head out to stare back.

"Mello will be back. He has done things similar to this before," Near stated. Matt shook his head in disagreement as he uncurled. The red-head breathed heavily as he adjusted the goggles on his face. He had started to cry again while on the bed.

"No he's not! This is nothing like before. He would never leave without me. He… he never ever said goodbye to me before today like the other times he ran away," Matt said sadly. Near was actually starting to grow a bit concerned. He shook off the emotion and slipped something out of his breast pocket.

"Mello will be back soon. I am most certain," Near said calmly.

"Why do you say that?" Matt asked. Near held up the photo that he had retrieved from the broken frame earlier. Matt eyed the photo in his hand. When the red-head attempted to take it from Near, the younger boy brought quickly to his chest like it was his greatest treasure.

"Mello will be back soon, because I have his picture," Near said simply.

It was the first time Near had ever been wrong. It was the only time Near had ever been wrong. Mello didn't came back. He had never returned back to Whammy's after that day. Two mistakes were made on that day. One of them belonged to the young man twirling away at his soft white hair.

Near removed his hand from his pajama pocket after he realized what he was doing. Near went back to playing with his toys. His thoughts wandered to what had happened after all those years. Near had tried finding Mello. He used all his resources to track him down. He even used someone on his own team as a connection with the blonde. Near hadn't made a direct contact with the blonde since the day he left.

"Near!" Lester called. Near turned back to glance at the main console. His heart almost stopped at the sight before him, but he kept his face neutral, "What should we do?" Lester continued.

"Let him in," Near said simply as he tried to steady his breathing. Why was he getting so worked up about this? A lock clicked open. The doors swung apart from each other with a swoosh. Near listened closely as the sound of heavy footsteps inched forward. He also heard as his companion cocked their guns.

"Mello welcome…" was all Near could think to say. He knew something was coming today, but he hadn't entirely expected this. Or had he? Near's hand rested on his knee close to his chest and closer still towards the object hidden in cloth.

"Drop your weapons!!!" Lester shouted as he and Gevanni raised their guns. Near was a bit unsettled by this. Guns would serve no purpose now. They only proved to cause trouble most of the time. Near was very aware of this fact.

"Everyone…please put away your guns. Having a shoot out here would achieve nothing," Near said with a bit of annoyance.

"Near with all my respect, Mello was the one that killed all our partners," Gevanni replied still holding his gun in place.

"Please don't make me say it again. Remember that our prime objective is capture Kira. Killing Mello right now will do nothing to benefit our investigation," Near said evenly. Lester let out a low growl, but everyone seemed to comply with Near's request.

Although Near didn't show it outwardly, He was relieved. His mind was still dancing around Mello's reason for being here, but he knew that soon enough all would be revealed. Mello always was a rather straightforward person when it came to things. Still…

"It seemed things have been going just as you planned Near," Mello said coolly.

"Yes…I take it you've already heard about the second L from Lidner by now. I've pretty much figured out who Kira is, and it's all thanks to what you've done," Near replied. The white-haired young man as being truthful. In watching from the shadows at everything Mello did, he had been able to gather clues on the Kira case as well.

Suddenly there was a clink of metal. Mello pulled his gun out once more and pointed it straight at Near's head. Near stiffened for a second, but then old memories crept back in. Mello was just having another tantrum. Although this time it was considerably more dangerous.

"Shut up Near! I'm not just a tool for you to use in order to solve your puzzle, you know!" Mello said angrily. Near shifted slightly in his spot. The urge to look back at Mello now was overwhelming. He had to keep his resolve. He had to keep Mello from leaving again. But, what he could possibly do to make the blonde stay?

"Mello…if you really want to shoot me. Go ahead and do it," Near said in an almost challenging tone for him. Perhaps it wasn't the best choice to take in this situation, but Near knew it was enough to make Mello pause. It was enough to keep the blonde from leaving for just a little longer.

"Stop! If you shoot him than the rest of us will have no choice but to shoot you too! What will It solve if both of you die. That's just what Kira wants," Halle jumped in. Near was a bit relieved by the intrusion, but at the same time still wondering what Mello could possibly want. Near continued to think. It was as if the answer was right in front of him, but he couldn't grasp it.

"You have a good point. Anyway I'm only here for one thing. I'm here to take back that photograph you have," Mello said lowering his gun. Everything snapped into place. Although it was only seconds, all the pieces fell into place. Near had been right.

He knew that Mello would come back for his picture the day he left Whammy's. The only thing the white-haired young man had miscalculated is when and where the blonde would retrieve it. Another thought struck Near in that same moment. He would have to give up all he really had left of Mello. He supposed he had no choice. Near dug into his front shirt pocket for the photograph.

"Of course. I got it from the orphanage. There was only one and no copies have been made. I've already dealt with everyone that knows your face inside and outside Whammy's house. They'll keep quiet--" Near continued speaking as he flung it towards Mello. The older man caught it with the slightest of ease. A feeling of emptiness came to Near in that instant. He realized now that he would have nothing at all to hold onto.

The picture was the one thing that had kept him going at Whammy's, because in his mind Mello was still with him. The picture was his safety line. The picture was his last line of connection with the blonde. He always treasured the tiny slip of paper. It had kept him sane during the endless wait. It was his hope to see that face once even had attempted to write a message on the back while waiting for the blonde to return. He never finished it. Near felt this would be the last he'd see Mello. This time he would have no ties to connect him to the blonde. There would be nothing to hold on to.

"Is that the only business you have with Mello?"

YAY! NearxMello day! From Death Note vol.13, today is the day Mello and Near officially meet in the SPK headquarters after four years. November 19th, 2009. Hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. It was fun to write. I'm totally counting this towards NaNoWriMo. Lol. Review if you can.