This takes place as if Ryuk never dropped the Death Note. The Shinigami exist in this story, so expect to hear passing tales of heart attacks.

Apologies for any major OOCness.

In all truth, Matt had been expecting to be evicted from his apartment for quite some time, but he was quite surprised when he was literally thrown out of his apartment by his tall and broad landlord, with the man's wife bringing out his few belongings in an old duffle bag and throwing it down beside him. They had been kind the past few months, but they obviously could no longer put aside the fact that he hadn't been paying his rent.

"We'll be waiting for the money you still owe us. Be sure to pay us soon, or we may take it to court." The wife said ruffly, probably more annoyed with him then her husband was. The man almost seemed to pity Matt, since it looked like he would be out on the streets for a while. The man knew very well that Matt would have a hard time surviving without his electronics, let alone food and drink.

"Yeah, yeah. I get your your money when I find someone else willing to hire someone who didn't finish their high school education." Matt picked up the bag, glad that the wife had at least taken the time to collect up his stuff while the husband had been chasing him around the house. He didn't look back at them as he walked towards the steps. He'd been walking up and down those steps for six years, ever since he first started renting the apartment after leaving Wammy's House, and it felt just a bit strange knowing that it would be the last time he'd go down them. He was sentimental like that.

Exiting the apartment complex, he remembered the first time he had entered it, considering it for a potential home. He had been sixteen then, chased away from Wammy's House by the knowledge that his best friend hated him and that he had no reason to stay at the place that had been his home ever since his parents died. Mello wasn't the only reason that he had left, but he had been a big part of it.

They had been fighting so much in the time before Matt left. It had started out so simple, as small disputes that were easily dealt with, but it had quickly escalated. But they got through them all eventually, even though fractures in their friendship remained. That is, until the day that Mello and Near had been called to a special meeting with L.

That was the day that L announced to his two possible successors that he had no need for them at the time, since he couldn't see himself dying in the close future. He told them to take their own paths, the ones they were truly meant to take, but to not forget that he could need them again one day. While Near had seemed almost happy with the news, Mello had not taken it well at all. He had been more angry then Matt or anyone else had ever seen him. Matt had a hard time dealing with it all. That had been what caused the total destruction of their relationship.

There had been a single, huge fight, that had left minor property destruction in its path. They were no way in the right mind to forgive each other. After that, Matt had asked to be allowed to leave Wammy's House, since he knew that it would either have to be him or Mello that would have to. Wammy's House still had much to give Mello, but it had already given all it could to Matt. Once he was given the permission, he had left without saying goodbye.

He regretted that now. Not leaving without saying goodbye to his friends, that is. He was more remorseful of leaving period, since the money he had been receiving for support from Wammy's House had stopped coming when he had turned eighteen. He could have stayed at the House longer then that, and he wouldn't have had to support himself. He was surprised that he had made it to age twenty-four, alive and mostly well. He wasn't sure how much longer that would last, since he had been laid off from his job and kicked out of his apartment.

Matt wasn't quite sure what to do now, having not made any plans even though he expected to get kicked out eventually. It was quite stupid in hindsight, and he could almost hear Mello yelling at him for his carelessness. It happened so often that he had accepted that it was a sign of his own insanity and that it showed that he really did miss Mello. Before, he had never been sure if he actually missed him, or if it was just missing being around someone he at one point could get along with.

He stopped walking when he reached the curb, as his cell phone, almost out of power, had started ringing. He was actually quite surprised, since he didn't know many people that he had given his cell number to. It could have been one of the people he had met at the bar a couple nights ago. Their names and faces were muddled in his mind, but he knew that they had fun together. Or maybe it was his old boss, telling him that he could have his job back. Or it could be the last person he ever wanted to see or talk to. Since luck wasn't going well in his favour, it turned out to be the last one.

"'ello?" Matt asked, answering the call, even though he desperately wanted to ignore it and conserve the cell phone's remaining energy. But he knew an opportunity when he saw it, and hopefully his decision wouldn't turn out badly for him. Though, knowing who was calling, it probably would end in disaster. But not for the caller, because he never lost out.

"Hello, Matt. I'd like you to come to L'Hôtel de la Pomme. I'll be waiting for you there. I can even get you a room, if you'd like." Matt scowled, realizing that his homelessness was already known, even though it had only been about five minutes since it had started. But he wasn't that surprised, even though he wanted to be.

"How do you know that I'm able to come at this point in time? I could be busy, you know." Matt asked, even though he was sure he had a god idea of the answer. The caller actually laughed, something rare for him to do.

"Why, Matt, I thought you knew me well enough. Smile for the cameras." Matt only briefly glanced at one of the street cameras, that he was sure were all pointing at him. "If you'd like, I could send a car for you. I know how much you hate walking, or moving at all."

Yet again remembering just why both he and Mello had disliked the young man when they had all been at Wammy's House, Matt flipped off one of the cameras. "Whatever Near. Get me there, so we can deal with what ever you want to talk about quickly. You'll know where I am." He disconnected the call, not giving Near a chance to reply. In his mind he had gotten a one-up on Near because of that, causing his slightly down mood to risen a bit. It didn't last long.

He didn't have much to do until the car arrived, but he was sure that his DS had a good enough charge to last him awhile. He sat down on the curb, and took out his beloved game system. He couldn't concentrate on it though. He'd completed it too many times to count, and it had long since stopped being a challenge. He would have just gotten a new game, but he never had the money. It also didn't help that he had other, annoying things on his mind.

He had changed so much since his time at Wammy's House. He used to be the snarky kid that everyone loved, but he had become nothing. Sometimes he could barely smile. He knew he hadn't been the only one. He had heard passing mentions of the children he had been friends with at Wammy's House from Near, and he was almost shocked by how different they seemed when Near spoke of them.

Hell, even Near had changed, though Matt was sure it wasn't for the better in many ways. It wasn't even all that noticeable unless you spent enough time around him, which Matt unfortunately had after their not so happy reunion three years before. The toy obsession that had carried on into his teenage years had almost completely disappeared, mostly replaced by puzzles and anything that he could use to build with. He had almost reached the point where he considered all intelligent people his equals, and was getting close to treating them moderately well, and not depending on others son much. But he was still Near, even with the changes. And his slowly growing social skills were making his ability to manipulate the people around him grow as well.

Matt wished he had a pack of smokes on hand. That would have made things much better.

Trying to convince himself to stay focused on the game was getting him nowhere, but it had obviously passed the time, as a white car stopped in street in front of him. White – Black was too overused, Near had once told him. He had found it funny then, since it almost seemed like Near had been attempting a joke. But all it did then was annoy him further. The driver, some how a woman that didn't look she worked for the government, gave him a nod of recognition. He stashed his DS away in his jacket pocket, and took the small walk to the car.

As the two drove, Matt actually took the time to think about his biggest problem that wasn't Near. He was left without a source of income, a home, and little ways to charge his electronics. He couldn't have any of them without having all of them. How had his life turned out the way it had? Was he really just that bad at life?

"You're unusually quiet. And I though you'd be talking my ear off the whole time." The woman commented, breaking Matt from his thoughts, seemingly amused. Matt scowled, and wondered

just how much she knew about him. Knowing Near, probably everything.

"Well, I just got kicked out of my apartment. I have a lot to think about. You of course probably wouldn't understand." Matt grumbled, finding the woman to be a bit impolite. "After all, Near only employs the capable and stable. He'd have to, considering his alleged job. You tell me, what position in the government does he actually hold?" Matt actually had never been told before, as Near always avoided the question. He was sure it wasn't that big of a job, as he was sure someone aged only twenty two, twenty three in a few months if Matt remembered correctly, was not given high positions until they reached an older age. Matt could have been wrong though.

"A very small role, though it seems he's very influential. That's all I can really say. I don't know much more myself. I only know things from what documents I've snagged. You'd have to ask someone else who worked with the government. I'm only an artist he hired to create a painting for one of the children of someone he worked with once." Matt could accept that, since he knew that Near couldn't settle for little. While he had been more humble and less obvious about it, Near wanted power as much as Mello had, if not more. Or at least, that was Matt's understanding.

While it seemed like a mundane matter, he couldn't help but wonder why Near would send a woman that didn't actually work for him to fetch Matt. None of his colleagues must have been at the hotel with him, Matt finally decided, glancing at her once more. She was unimportant.

Not long afterwards, they arrived at their destination, and as Matt stared up at the fancy hotel, he knew for sure he was in for a lot of hell.

As Matt entered Near's hotel room, he was faced with a surprisingly clean area. He had been expecting at least a few towers of dominos or dice some where in the room. But all there was what one would expect from an expensive hotel room, and an uncompleted puzzle on the floor, with the unused pieces in neat piles beside the board on which they were being placed. Near appeared to have abandoned in in favour of a book, which he held in one hand, while sitting in the chair that the hotel provided. Near looked up from his book with a calculating gaze.

"I'd like to enquire about that moustache you have grown. It is quite distracting." Right. Matt hadn't been shaving it much in the past months since he last saw Near. He actually liked it a lot, as it made him look and feel older. With his short cropped hair, and dazzling eyes, girls' heads turned in his direction when he passed, and he had been slipped many numbers he almost never called back. He was loved on the street, and he sometimes loved that attention. This was all in contrast to Near.

Despite finally hitting an unexplained growth spurt just before turning nineteen, reaching a height not much shorter then Matt, Near still some how held the essence of a child, though he'd heard from some of Near colleagues, both male and female, that he was more like an angel. Matt had seriously questioned whether they were truly sane. Even with his soft features, Near was better described as a monster, that would slowly hunt you, watch you almost politely, before making a strike and taking you down. But still a child none-the-less.

"I won't shave off this wonderful thing!" Near marked his page in the book, and placed down beside beside him. Near revealing smirk appeared on his face, the one that always appeared when he either got something right, or was thinking of a devious plan that would surely have some kind of causality. Matt had known him long enough to know that he would not like the words that came out of Near's mouth next. Though that was extremely common.

"It's a shame, then. I could have offered you some money in return, to get you by after your unfortunate eviction." There was no sorrow in his voice, and he casually played with his hair, which fell down in half-straightened curls over his shoulders. Matt had to admit that at some point his old rival had become highly attractive, probably for the sake of teasing those around him. Near never showed interest in what Matt liked most, which was a bit disappointing, since maybe then they could have gotten along better.

"If you weren't going to lend me money before, you wouldn't now. I do know you well enough. You're not one for charity." Matt countered, frowning. Even after eight years, Near was still a jerk. He could only imagine what the poor girl from earlier could be going through if she had found appeal in him. No girl deserved to be treated like that.

"No, I'm not. But paying you in return for shaving off that would not be charity." That smirk appeared again. "It is distracting me from the main goal of this meeting, as it looks out of place on your upper lip." Matt was sure that those words were Near's way of telling him he looked ugly. He didn't care about Near's opinion.

"I'm not shaving, okay brat? Now what's the reason for bringing me here? Are you going to get me a nice, new car as a late birthday present?"He wasn't being serious about the last thing, but he wanted to see Near's reaction. The young man's face stayed blank as ever.

"No, of course not. I know very well that you are without a home now. I can supply you with one eventually. Though due to your current state, you would not be living alone. I know of an old friend of ours that would probably be willing to take you in until you get back up on your feet." Matt wasn't that convinced, and it was clear in his face, something that Near saw. "I know you think otherwise, but I do care for your well being. I wouldn't want to see you die outside on the streets."

Matt was sure the words of caring were fake, but he finally started to consider the offer anyway. Any place was better then the streets, really. At least he'd have food, which was actually higher on his list of necessities then his electronics. He looked at Near again, whose gaze hadn't left him. Three words would seal his fate. Either he could say 'Fuck off, Near' or...

"Okay, I accept."

Near gained what could have passed off as a normal smile if it wasn't for the look in his eyes. Matt had taken the bait.

Mello is not the person Matt will go live with, by the way. Putting them in the same house together in the mindset they're in right now would lead to murder.