Yes! I am alive! ^^ Muahahaha! This is my first MxN fanfic! Enjoys!

Disclaimer: Death Note = Do not own, thanks!

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"What is it Roger?" Mello asked loudly. It was just Near and Mello in Roger's office. They had been called there for a very important, secret announcement. Mello's first guess was that L had chosen his successor. But by the grave look on the elder's face, it must be something very tragic.

All the worst scenarios were running through Mello's head. Did someone die? Did L not want a successor anymore? What if someone even surpassed Near?

While Mello was going over the worst case scenarios, Roger looked up. Mello's thoughts stopped completely as he looked into the old man's eyes.

"I'm afraid... That L is dead..." Mello's eyes widened.

L, dead? No, it was impossible! L can't be dead! He had a case to solve! He had to choose his successor! Wait who did he choo--

Just then, Near tipped his puzzle board over, letting the pieces fall to the ground. He set the puzzle down and put the first corner piece in. His only reply was monotone and uncaring.

"If you can't win the game... If you can't solve the puzzle... You're nothing but a loser." Mello glared. How can he say that when their idol is dead? 'Near...' Mello growled to himself. He shot a look right back at Roger.

"So, who did he choose? Tell us who he chose for his next successor!" Mello glared through his thick eyelashes. It was now or never. Who is going to be the next L? Who is going to walk in the great detective's footsteps and clean the world, the right way? Not just by killing others. Who is going to change the world and be admired by all of Wammy's House, the new idol.

"He didn't have the time to choose. I'm sorry..." Mello's heart rate must of tripled. First, his idol was dead, and now he will never be able to decide who was to be the next L!

There was silence between the three in the room. The only sound that they could hear was the pieces being placed together on Near's puzzle board. One by one, the pieces were assembled in a puzzle that was all white, except for the Gothic L that represented their past idol.

Mello looked over to Near with a disgusted face. He could solve this case on his own, without Near! The white haired child wouldn't care, and he knew it. Whatever gets him closer to the end of the game sooner, the better. And Mello sure as hell didn't want to be a tool. Of course, if they worked together, they would solve the case a lot sooner, but Mello was too stubborn for that.

Mello had made his mind. He was leaving Wammy's House. Nothing could stop the blond once his mind was made. It's like telling trying to stop gravity from working. It couldn't be changed.

"Roger, you know we can't work together! We have always been rivals!" Mello looked over to his rival one last time. "And I've decided I'm going to quit Wammy's and solve this case, without Near's help." And with that, Mello stormed off. Near hesitated, but managed to turn around.

"Mello, if you think it's for the best, then go ahead and leave. But if you do that, L may never be avenged. If you want his memory to live on, you must stay and work with me, at least just for this mission. Then, after that, you can continue with whatever you want to do."

That got Mello to stop. Near usually wasn't this concerned...

'Wait, what if this is another trick just to get me to join him?' The teen stood there for awhile. Near did have a point, but then again, he could be using him. But he did say that Mello could quit when he finished the case. He nodded to himself and put on a sour face, then turned around. And just like that, Near had stopped the force that no one else was able to stop.

"Fine, I'll do it. But it's only to avenge L! We probably won't be working together after that." Near smiled at that. He now had a valuable tool to get him to the end faster. This was all going according to plan...

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--The Next Day--

"Mello, we will be leaving Wammy's House by the end of the week If you don't hurry up, I'm just going to have to leave you." Near had been like this all day. The young white haired boy wouldn't give Mello any time to organize his stuff before he left. They were to leave for Japan between the end of the week or the start of the next. Near liked to be early, so he had been bothering Mello about being slow all morning.

"Near, I would like some privacy. If you want me to help you in this case, then get the hell out!" Mello growled. Near just looked at him and smirked.

"Mello, we both know that you're going to go anyway," Near's face went stoic again. "And the house could use a month or two without your language."

Mello huffed and turned around. He finished packing his clothes and left his room. He was going to go to the kitchen to eat some chocolate. It's the only thing that could calm him at this point.

He continued down the hall, and stopped when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, just to find the center of all his stress, clad in white and carrying a robot doll.

"Why are you still following me? Do you think I'm going to ditch you?" Mello growled for the second, or maybe third, time today. Even he was loosing track.

"Well, I can't be certain. You are impulsive, after all, so the percentage of you leaving Wammy's House and the 'friendship' we have established would be around 46%. With odds like that, I can't risk it." Mello rolled his eyes and continued to the kitchen.

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When Mello got into the candy stash, he was glad to see a Hershey's bar staring at him. The prized treat had been shipped right from Hershey, Pennsylvania. Mello grabbed the candy and couldn't wait to eat it. He turned around and there was Near. Near was on the tips of his toes, so they were standing face to face, just a breath apart. Mello gasped and almost dropped his chocolate. He could see right into Near's eyes. The extremely dilated pupils showed Mello's surprised reflection.

Mello then pushed Near away and walked over to the nearest chair. He sat down and unwrapped his chocolate. He looked at the sweet treat for awhile before biting a good chunk out of it. It was unusual that the blond never gained any weight. Mello didn't care though. Heck, he just used this as an excuse to keep eating the stuff.

"So, Near... I'm all packed. I'm ready to leave when you are. The faster we get done with this, the faster I can move on and work alone." Mello said in between bites of the Hershey's bar. Near walked over to him and sat on the floor.

"I'm glad to hear that," Near started playing with the robot, twisting and turning the arms and legs into awkward positions. Near gently set the crippled toy on the floor and looked up at Mello. "If you want, we can leave in a few hours. I've already ordered the tickets and they should be here by dinner time. I would like to get the plane ride over with as soon as possible," Near lowered his head at this. He started to twist his hair around his finger. Mello just looked at Near with a cold expression in his eyes.

"Since when have you ever cared what I want. I just figured you'd drag me out of here when you wanted to go." Mello said harshly. Near didn't look up at him.

"I started caring when you agreed to work with me. It's much more effective to work with someone who doesn't just drag you around. In order for us to solve this case with maximum efficiency, I have to take your feelings into account and make sure that you are completely okay with all of this."

After hearing that, Mello practically choked on his chocolate. That was the most caring thing he had ever heard the pale child say. He looked down at Near to see that the boy still had his head down, but instead of looking at the cold tile floor, he had once again picked up the robot and was continuing his twisting and turning.

Mello looked away, finished his chocolate, threw his wrapper away, and walked out of the room. Like he expected, Near was still trailing him, but this time, it didn't bother the blond. They were to leave in a few hours, and from then on, they would be together until Kira was brought to justice. He might as well brush up on his Japanese and get used to the kid.

He was going to need a lot of it.

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Yes, there will be a chapter 2! But not until I finish my other story. Be prepared for a long-ish wait... :(