Another Day, Another Time.

By Kyasarin Esumond

His hair, so light, shining from the dim hall light, creeping through the crack of the door. He was quiet, gentle, sincere, his movements were slow, steady and felt like a dream. No, it HAD to be a dream. Feeling this great is unreal, like nothing I had ever felt. He caressed, ceased when I yelped, every gasp, every moan, every groan savored the moment. This was a good idea, this is why we were born, it was like nothing I had ever imagined or dreamed of; Falling in love with a video game nerd who stole cigarettes, had a select few of friends and an amazingly soft voice. I didn't care what he sounded like, looked like, or did in his spare time. As long as he was still the Matt I remembered, I didn't care. I love him just as he is.

Every touch of his sent shivers down my spine, they felt so good. If I asked him to stop, he'd immediately stop, asking me what was wrong, worried that I didn't like what he was doing at the time. He smiled when we finished, helping me clothe myself again. We'd fall asleep right next to each other, waiting for the morning to come to wait for a night to arrive. We'd cherish every moment, savoring every flavor, remembering every movement. Everything was perfect, him, his movements, his touch, his smile, his grace, everything. I never hoped anything to change.

But then...Roger sent Me and Near to his office while Matt was in the detention hall for stealing snacks from the chef. Near, as usual, brought along a puzzle board that they provided him in our orphanage. He was the smartest one, so they gave him everything. No matter what he wanted, they would get it for him, and they'd get it right down to every last detail. But that didn't matter to me. What mattered is why Roger had sent us to his office during out lunch break from all the orphanage stresses.

"L is dead..." Roger said quietly.

"What was that?! Roger! What did you just say!" I yelled lightly, hoping that it was just a joke.

"I'm afraid L is dead..." He said again.

"He's dead?! But-but how?!" I leaned on his desk.

"Hmm..." He closed his eyes.

"Was it Kira?! Did Kira Kill him?! Come on, Roger, you've got to tell me!" I started getting furious, hoping that any second he would say something stupid like "Gotcha." He wasn't one to joke, but I was hoping for it.

"...Probably..." He turned slightly, so I grabbed his shoulders.

"But he promised me that he'd find Kira and execute him! Now you're telling me...that he's been killed?!" My voice started cracking.

"Mello!" Roger exclaimed as Near dumped his puzzle board on the ground. I looked back as he was holding it right in the air. All the puzzle pieces were on the ground in a pile, as expected.

"If you can't win the game...If you can't solve the puzzle...then you're just a loser..." He was mocking me, and I could clearly see it. I grunted angrily, turning back around. I hit my fist on Rogers hard wood desk.

"So, which of us did L pick? Me or Near?" I calmed down a bit.

"...He hadn't chosen yet...and now that he's gone, I'm afraid he won't be able to." Roger kept his eyes closed. I sighed, almost getting angry again. "Mello, listen. You too, Near. Can't the two of you work together?" He tried resolving a problem that couldn't be fixed. L was gone, and there was no changing of it.

"Alright, sounds good..." Near said, putting his puzzle board back together as I turned lightly getting angry again. I made the most disgusted face I could possibly make.

"It'll never work, Roger. We can't do this together, you know I don't get along with Near," I said with an uncontrollably shaken voice. "We've always competed against each other. Always." Then there was silence. I broke the silence anyway. I hated silence like that. "You know what? It's fine. Near should be the one to succeed L. He's not like me, he never gets emotional, he just uses his head like it's a game or a puzzle." I said, right as Near finished the corner piece of the puzzle he brought along. "And as for me, I'm leaving this 'institution'," I said turning around.

"Wait, Mello!" Roger exclaimed standing up.

"Don't waste your breath. I'm almost fifteen years old, it's time I started living my own life..." I said, walking out the door. I grabbed my coat on the way out and a few other things, chocolate bars, pictures, books, and things to entertain me, like the handheld that Matt gave me.

I ran, as far away as my legs could carry me. It started to rain, so I sat under a tree, the tree that Matt and I used to run to when he would get in trouble, but wanted to stay with someone. I though of places to stay at, but I was too tired to think. I held my arms together, shivering from the downpour's wind. I loved it when it rained, the water hitting the ground, drop by drop. It was always fascinating that nature could make such a beautiful noise. I closed my eyes, and, unintentionally, fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was in a dark room with boxes and one small window. I could see the moon glowing in the sky with perfectly scattered stars surrounding it. I looked around for anyone to greet me. After all, they did take me to this warm, dark room. I heard footsteps, and I saw a hand with a leather glove on it. I then realized who it was.

"Matt...? What are you doing here? And where are we anyway?" I said rubbing my eyes and yawning. I was laying on a cold metal table with a blanket completely wrapped around me.

"...Rescuing you, at an abandoned storage house, and do you want to go with me outside or not?" He smiled in the dark.

"O-oh, um, yea..." I stuttered, taking his hand. He helped me off the table, which was highly elevated, and I stubbled a bit. Matt caught me in his arms and laughed a bit. He led me to the door and opened it. I looked out and all I could see was a grassy plain and a distant city.

"M-Matt, how did we get here...?" I blushed, holding his hand.

"This weird girl saw you sleeping on my lap on a city bench, and said stupid things like 'you guys are so cute, he's so adorable, you look good together' and she offered me a ride to anywhere I wanted, and I lead her here." He brushed the hair our of my eyes.

"Well, at least she knows what she sees," I said, making out foreheads touch and smiling at him, touching the nape of his neck.

"Hmm, you're right, as always, Mello..." He smiled lightly at me.

"Hey, Matt? Can I ask you something?" I blushed and looked away.

"Yea, of course, what is it?" He asked looking concerned.

"I just...I wanted to know...how you came to liking me...I mean, there's nothing special about me, really, I'm just Mello, I'm not that great at a–" I was cut off my his lips on mine. They were warm ant soft, and I hadn't felt them all day. I missed that feeling so much, and I finally got it.

"I fell in love with you because you're smart, beautiful, caring, and you have that look in your eyes when you look at me. When I'm sad, I can look deeply into those big, beautiful eyes of yours and I'll know that everything will be alright. If I'm lonely, you were always there to make me feel better, even when we were just friends. The night I told you how I felt, you didn't call me names or make fun of me, you excepted me, even though you weren't sure that a guy could love another guy. But I knew I loved you from the beginning. The first day I saw you when we were little, do you know what I thought about you?" He smiled, putting his arms around me.

"Wh-what...?" I smiled with a deep blush from just hearing those words.

"'That boy looks like he's going to be a hero some day. He's going to be an amazing person, even if not a lot of people know about him. I can tell that he has great potential and ...likes chocolate a lot'," he said looking away with a dumbfounded look across his face.

"Oh, shut up, you did not we were so little, you couldn't think of those words, Matty..." I said, tickling his sides.

"Hahahah, well, you'd be amazed about what love at first sight could do to you..." He hugged me and I sat in his lap with my arms around his waist.

"Matt...."

"Yeah...?"

"Stay with me forever....please....don't leave me, I don't think I would be able to live..."

"...I promise, Mello...I swear on my life that for as long as I live, I will never leave you..." he whispered into my ear.

"And Matt..."

"Yeah?"

"...I love you"

"..." He broke the hug and looked into my eyes. "...I love you too"