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Something was wrong. Through the eyes of almost everyone at Wammy's, it seemed to be just another, boring day… But Matt could tell something was wrong. Mello had hardly said two words to him since the afternoon. Matt had been waiting for his friend to return from the dreaded world of 'outside,' for a few hours now. Well, two and a half, anyway… It was strange, though, because he had heard everyone else come in almost forty-five minutes before he saw the blonde. In fact, he'd actually gotten so concerned that he lost against Boo in Mario Kart. That in itself was a clear sign that he was perturbed, but, he found that it didn't matter when Mello finally walked through the door. "Mello?" He asked softly, noting the glare that was more prevalent than usual, "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," Mello growled in response, and Matt dropped the subject. He could tell that, whatever was bothering Mello, was best left unsaid right now. Mello sat down forcefully at his desk, presumably to do some homework, though Matt wasn't really nosy enough to check… Instead, he returned to his game, though he was unable to completely focus. Even now, it was clear to him that something was amiss… But it was made even more apparent when Near appeared in their doorframe.

"Mello… You're wrong, you know…" He said softly, gazing inside at Mello, who now clutched his pencil so tightly that it snapped in two, "He would-"

"I know, Near," He spat, refusing to make eye contact, "But I'm not changing my mind." Matt found this entire conversation strange. What were they talking about? Who would what? And why wasn't Mello jumping down the younger boy's throat like he usually would?

"It's your choice…" Near murmured before turning to leave.

Matt stared, dumbstruck, at Mello. "What was that all about?" He asked, "Why didn't you go after him? Wh-"

"Shut up, Matt." Mello commanded, though he did not so much as turn his head in Matt's direction. Though he was clearly hurt by Mello's reaction, Matt did as he was told.

After several minutes of awkward silence between Matt and Mello, Matt finally decided to give Mello some space. Maybe he would calm down some if he had some time to himself. "I'm going for a walk…" He said quietly, receiving only a dismissive wave of the hand from Mello. He sighed and left their room, turning off his GameBoy as he left. As much as he hated exercise, he felt that it was the only logical excuse.

After walking for quite awhile, trying to piece together what had happened, he heard voices inside Roger's office. At first, he had planned on walking past without a second thought, but, just as he got close enough to make out actual words, he heard them say Mello's name. Maybe he knew what was going on. He stood, with his back flat against the wall beside the open door, listening in to Roger's conversation. At first, it sounded like he was talking to himself, but, well… "-Mello and Near… Mello didn't take the news well at all…"

News? What news?

"And Near?" One of the other voices, which Matt instantly recognized as their English teacher, asked.

"Near… Didn't really show much interest. It seemed like he already knew." Roger admitted, then added quickly, as if to absolve everyone else's doubts, "But I doubt that's true. I don't see how Near could possibly have heard of L's death before I did…"

Matt froze at this. L? Dead? Those words didn't belong together in a sentence… Mello knew… He was trying to protect me, wasn't he? The redhead contented himself with this thought as he continued listening.

"Who did he choose?" Yet another voice asked.

There was a brief moment of hesitation before Roger replied, "He didn't… I suggested that Mello and Near work together, but, Mello objected strongly to the idea."

Matt scoffed at the pure stupidity of the suggestion. Mello's pride would never allow him to work with Near, and the gamer knew this quite well.

"I suppose I should have suspected that much," Roger added, "But I did not expect him to announce that he would be leaving Wammy's-"

That was all Matt needed to hear. Mello was leaving…? But- Oh shit! Realizing that he had probably made the worst mistake of his lifetime, ran back to their room and threw the door open, shouting, "Mello!" It was too late. Mello was gone… And the fact that the lowest drawer of the desk, where Mello usually kept his secret stash of chocolate, was empty only confirmed that fact. "Mello…" Shaken, Matt sat down on the abandoned chair, which was still a little bit warm, and glanced at the desk, looking down at the paper which was clearly not homework.

Matt,

Kira killed L. I'm leaving, forever. I have to catch Kira before Near… DON'T LOOK FOR ME! Stay here where it's safe. On the off chance that Near and I both die, it'll be up to you to take over for us.

Goodbye,

Mello.

Matt could tell, simply by the lack of detail and the sloppiness of the note that Mello had been in a hurry. He had left. And he'd left Matt behind… But Matt vowed to find him. Though he rarely went against what Mello told him, staying away was one thing that Matt could never do. He would find Mello, and when he did, he would never let him out of his sight again. There was no way the poor gamer could allow this… He hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye! It wasn't fair for Mello to just up and leave without warning like that, it just wasn't!

"Matt?" Near called inside the room. He'd apparently come to see if Mello had left yet, "Have you seen Mello?"

"He's already gone, Near." Matt mumbled, not bothering to turn and look at the white-haired boy.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Near said softly, pausing before adding, "Did you hear about what happened to L?"

"Yeah, I heard," Matt mumbled, falling silent for a moment. "Near? Can you do me a favor?" He asked, testing the waters. He didn't often ask favors from anyone, but, in this case…

"Perhaps." Near replied, looking at the other curiously, trying to figure out what he was up to.

"Can you tell Roger that I'm leaving, too?"

Near watched Matt for a moment before replying, "I can, yes… Are you going to look for Mello?"

"No," Matt replied, facing Near with a determined look, "I'm going to find Mello." With this, he buried himself in the black hole he called a closet and began digging around for loose game cartridges, ignoring Near as he left.

Hehe, I know, lame line. "I'm going to find him…" It seemed like something he would say, though… At least when he was under so much stress, you know? Well… Hoped you like it so far… I've really been wanting to do this pairing, ever since I discovered Matt's personality. (And existence. I really have no idea how I missed him the first time through… I watched the anime, then read the manga…) Well, don't forget your two R's, and I hope to see you again soon!