L walked up to the front porch of his relatively, massive house, the terrified screams from inside of the building already caused a looming headache to form. Something the panda-eyed man was glad for was the fact that they didn't have any neighbors, that they lived in the small, isolated but very spacious countryside a couple miles off from a beach and a large town or else they would have had the cops called on them numerous times by now. Taking a deep breath L turned the brass doorknob.
The sight of chaos greeted him.
He saw his three children, Mello, Matt and Near, running around the living room. Near was small for a boy at the age of seven, Mello was defiantly meaner than most at age nine, and Matt was the same age as Mello and was usually his partner in crime.
Matt was usually playing a game or cleaning…trying to be the neutral, loving, yet responsible kind of kid, while Near and Mello proved to be opposites. While Near was mentally stable, calm, quiet, sweet, and on some occasions like Mello, some of the time, Mello was almost always a loud, crazed, devious, rambunctious mischievous evil genius whom never acted like Near, which made it much, much harder for L to keep his children under control.
L closed the door behind him wearily as he looked at the scene before him with slightly widened eyes. The living room was a mess and the babysitters, Wedy and Aiber were lying on the floor tied up and gagged. Wedy still conscious screamed into her gag and Aiber seemed to have just gained consciousness, looked around warily.
Matt was yelling huddled in a corner of the room. Meanwhile, Mello chased Near around in circles swinging a baseball bat at him and shouting curses. Near sobbed and panted loudly whilst shielding his head with his arms begging for Mello to stop chasing him.
"L! L!" Matt shouted from his corner. "You gotta stop him! He's totally homicidal!"
"You can't escape you damn ugly albino!" Mello shouted missing Near's ribcage by a couple of inches. "Damn! Hold still you little freak!"
"Help! Daddy!" Near squealed as he practically leapt into L's arms. "Mello's going to kill me! He's trying to kill me! Save me! Save me, Daddy!"
Mello saw L and dropped the heavy bat. All grew quiet until only the only sounds were Near crying and Wedy making muffled sounds through her gag. Mello gave L a nervous smile as his eyes searched the room desperately for an escape route, but L had him by his wrist before he could make any moves. Setting Near on the floor L signaled for Matt to take him upstairs. Matt complied and took Near by his small, milky white hand. He led the tiny albino upstairs without any difficulty.
"We are having a talk later, Mello, but for now I want the three of you to go to bed." L said firmly. "Now, I expect you to behave for the next twenty four hours or there'll be trouble between us, understand Mello?"
Mello nodded vigorously.
He was glad when L released hi, but his father saw the worry he held in his blue eyes. Mello ran for the stairs L watched giving him an uncertain look. Mello disappeared within moments of reaching the top step.
Now, all L had to do was clean up their mess. L looked to Wedy and Aiber. He untied them and got told that he was a horrible parent for several seconds, yelled at for five minutes, insulted for a full twenty minutes, swore at for about half an hour and finally slapped a couple of times by Wedy and punched in the gut by Aiber. And L took it all without a single word, but when the two started to speak badly of the children, well they crossed the line.
L kicked Aiber, good and hard in the jaw and threatened Wedy, should she say another word. The two left, never to return as previous babysitters before them had.
L straightened up the living room and only stopped when he heard the familiar sound of the stairs creaking beneath the weight of six small feet. He turned to the stairs and saw all three of his boys near the top, obviously trying to remain unnoticed.
"Boys," L said with a sigh "come down here, we need to talk."
Mello crept down the stairs warily, probably expecting to get punished as always. Matt led Near down the stairs, holding the seven year old's hand, while Near held a large, fuzzy teddy bear under his other arm. Once they joined Mello at the bottom of the stairs they each gave L their cutest, most apologetic faces, but L wasn't phased in the least. He'd become immune to the familiar look after seeing it over a hundred times.
"Don't bother with those faces." He scowled rubbing his temples. "I cannot believe you have done it again. And after you promised you would behave!"
"We're sorry!" Mello and Matt sang cutely.
"You two promised you'd be nice and behave for once." L said shaking his head. "And what excuse do you have for trying to kill Near?" he demanded looking to Mello.
"He started it!" Mello declared.
"Explain." L said as he looked from Mello to Near, then back again.
"We were playing and I said that I wanted to play with some building blocks, but that stupid sheep wouldn't let me! So, I tried to play with some toy soldiers or rubber animals, but that stupid sheep wouldn't let me play with those either! So Matt and me decided to play outside, but the stupid babysitters wouldn't let us! So we decided to play Prisoner but neither of the babysitters wanted to play right and…"
"And? And what? Near?"
"I can't say…" Near whispered avoiding L's eyes. "Mello said he'd kill me in my sleep if I tell. I'm sorry, Daddy."
"Matt?"
"Near said Mello was gonna get into trouble," Matt said speaking really fast, and excitedly not bothering to pause or take in breathes "but Mello said he wouldn't and Near said he would and I said that he couldn't if the babysitters were threatened, but Near said they would tell, but Mello said that if Near didn't tell then nobody would find out about it, but Near said that he wouldn't lie to you and Mello said he would and I was like, whatever! Then the next thing I know Mello is humming the theme song to London Bridge and Near is asking questions and I'm answering him and Mello's threatening him to lie to you about everything, but Near said he wasn't a good liar so Mello said that if Near couldn't lie right, then maybe he could die right so Mello grabbed the baseball bat from an upstairs closet and started to chase Near around the house for about three to four hours then you came home and was like WTF? And here we all are!"
"Umm, yes, thank you for that information, Matt." L said as his left eyebrow twitched. "Mello do you have anything to add at your defense around this point?"
"Yes." He said politely before turning to Near. "Nia…"
"Yes, Merro?" the smaller boy asked half expecting an apology like Matt and L were. It'd been years since either child had called each other by their nicknames and when they had they weren't in conflict or ready to tear each other's throat out. They had been best friends when they last referred to each other as 'Merro' and 'Nia'.
"You are a stupid, crippled sheep!" he spat at the younger boy, before kicking him in his shin. Near let out a shrill, howl of pain before he dropped his teddy bear and grabbed onto L's pants leg. He burst into tears. Mello smiled proudly, while Matt face palmed. Scowling L picked Near up and let the small boy bury his face in the crook of his neck.
"Mello I've finally decided a punishment that fits both Matt and you. You both will be required to clean up the rest of the house and I've decided to cut the amount of chocolate you'll receive daily as Matt's video game time shall be limited."
"What?" both nine year olds shouted in unison.
"What about that pussy?" Mello (meaning Near, no duh!) snapped.
"Seeing as he kept his promise and behaved he will be rewarded by not being punished." L said heading for the stairs. "Now, I expect you two to have this house cleaned by ten."
"What?" Mello whined.
"But that's like in two hours! It'll take a lot longer to clean everything, like three hours longer!" Matt complained.
"You're just not punishing him, because he's your favorite!" Mello said pouting.
"That's not true; I love you each the same amount as I do the other." L said looking at the blonde over his shoulder. Without another word L stalked up the stairs and walked down the long upstairs halls until he came to a pure white door that was across the hall from a black door that was next to a black and white striped door.
Entering Near's room L sat the boy on his bed and moved to a toy chest that was on the other side of the bed in a corner. It was painted an orangey red color with the bold words in yellow, Near's Toys written in the center of the front. L dug in the box until he found Near's three favorite toys, which were his: robot, stuffed pink rabbit and stuffed panda bear, which had large black button eyes that reminded L of his own panda-eyes.
"Near, are you afraid of monsters?" L asked as Near crawled under his covers.
The small child gave him a knowing look, but didn't answer straight away, his gaze was more or less curious as to why L would ask him such a question, but the small boy was silent as he thought of a satisfactory answer for his father. A look of puzzlement crossed his face as he spoke.
"What kind?" he asked with blank eyes.
"Well…any kind…any kind of monster."
"No."
"Oh, you aren't?"
"No."
"Not even the kind that harm small children, the kind that…kill small children?" L asked with great difficulty. "You know how they kill children your age?"
Near shook his head, eyes filled by a curious light.
"How can and how do they kill small children?" asked he.
"Well, there are different methods." L said putting a thumb to his lower lip. "Some slash the child's chest open, others suffocate them or behead them…at your tender age it'd be easy for your skull to be cracked open or broken. Some monsters, they will beat you to death. Many monsters tend to lie to you in order to kill."
"How?" Near asked hugging himself.
"They'll promise you'll be safe and that you'll return home unharmed if you do as they say, but in reality it's a trick to keep you silent or to make you do what they want you to. Do you remember when Mello and Matt were reading the newspaper and found that article about that small girl who was almost killed? She'd been abducted by a strange man she didn't know, he'd promised that he'd help her find her parents if she done as he said. That girl was lucky her father saw them leaving the store in time to call the police and she was very lucky that she was saved before her kidnapper could murder her."
L didn't want to frighten innocent, little Near, but he'd asked and told Matt and Mello the same bits and pieces of information, so why not do the same with Near? It'd be wrong of him to exclude Near because of his tender age. Almost like it was wrong for him to use Matt and Mello for physical labor that he didn't want to do, but they clearly brought that upon themselves when they trashed the house.
The fact was, simply that, his youngest son had to know of these things or else he'd be ignorant of them and be at a moderate to high risk of falling victim to a child predator or kidnapper. L didn't want that, he didn't like the thought of his son being tormented or killed, so it was better if he asked and told Near about the really-for-real monsters…not the ones under his bed or in his closet, but the monsters that walked around town everyday wearing a crude mask of a human being when, in fact, they had lost their humanity long ago.
The monsters, whom took advantage of those around them regardless of the consequences, the monsters who lied, cheated and spat in the face of the weak and killed a child's innocence for their own selfish desires or pleasures. It was those evil, cruel, despicable monsters, in which L had to talk with his children about.
Those monsters who had long ago taken advantage of him and hurt him…that monster who posed as his mother and raped him despite his cries of protest and anguish. L had to make sure his children didn't go through the same suffering he had once been through.
"Daddy," Near whispered, sounding totally apathetic "will you tell me why they do it?"
"Ah, as for that question I do not fully comprehend it, Near. Why anyone could harm an innocent child for no reason is beyond even my understanding.
"Perhaps, they more or less, feel that small children are the easiest targets. Perhaps, they kill children because the child can't resist them and submits quicker than adults or teens, or maybe because they have a type of mental disorder that makes them think wrongly, and they convince themselves that small children deserve to die for being weak…or for some other reason, that most detectives cannot comprehend."
"A mental disorder? Do you mean like your brother, Beyond?"
"Yes, I suppose you could use him as an example," L chuckled softly "but he wouldn't dream of…well…he couldn't…um…Near, he wouldn't harm you, knowing that I'd harm him for doing so, he cares about you three boys...to a certain degree." L said thoughtfully.
L quickly turned his attention back to the subject that they had previously been on. "Remember, when I took you to town once and there were people everywhere?"
The small, albino nodded frowning.
"Near, I want you to know that if I ever take you to town, that half the people around you aren't bad, but they can't be trusted as 'completely innocent civilians' either. I do not know many people in town; therefore, I cannot trust many of them around any of you. However, if I know them, like I know Taro Kagami, and his family, then I'd trust them to be around you. Understand, my little lamb?"
"Yes, Daddy, you know Taro is a nice friend." Near giggled cheerfully. "He was very kind and cares about Merro, Matt and me. I wish I could see him, again."
L scowled hearing this, what was that feeling he felt? Jealousy? Anger? Hatred? Fear? Whatever, that feeling was it made him dislike the thought of Taro being around his precious, little Near. He could vaguely remember what happened the last time he'd allowed the teen around his sweet child. Shuddering he shook the thought of calling Beyond, and asking him to murder Taro in his sleep away.
"You know why he can't see you, Near," L said caressing Near's cheek affectionately "although I've invited him to our next family reunion, and to your next birthday. He said that he'd be more than glad to come over at either of those times, but we shouldn't wander off topic like this."
L sighed. "I want you to promise me that you will not wander off."
"Why? Merro and Matty wander off."
"Yes, well, they can take care of themselves better than you can. You must understand, Near that you aren't strong enough to fight or fast enough to run. You may be clever enough to hide but hiding won't save you. It never saves you. If anything it makes the monster want to catch you even more than when they started after you."
"Daddy, did a monster hurt you?" Near asked innocently.
"Yes." L replied, sadly.
"Who was the monster?"
"My mother. She attacked me and raped me, Near. I swear that I'll never harm you as she did me. But I want you to understand the dangers monsters impose."
"I understand, Daddy and the monsters sound scary." Near said with a weak voice. "They don't scare me, though, Daddy, I'm not afraid of them."
"Those don't frighten you?" L questioned doubtfully.
"No." Near finally replied, after a deep thought. "I am not frightened by those monsters, as I have said before, Daddy, they don't frighten me."
"Why is that?" L asked softly stroking Near's soft, white curls.
"Because, I trust that Daddy and Matty will protect me from the monsters, like they protect me from Mello." Near said hugging his stuffed panda lovingly.
"And I promise that I shall protect you from those monsters." L smiled pausing in his stroking of Near's white curls. "If they bother you, you just tell me and I'll be sure to make them regret it, I promise Near."
"I love you, Daddy." He looked at him with sleepy half lidded eyes.
"Yes…I know you do." L said as the albino wrapped his thin, little arms around his father's waist.
But can I ever love you the way you love me?He asked himself looking at the innocent child, who he knew had an abnormal crush on him, despite the fact he was playing the father role, and Near the son, along with Mello and Matt, but he seemed to think of L more of a boyfriend than a father, which was understandable, considering that some small children have ridiculous crushes on adult figures. L remembered that at Mello's age he, had a small crush on his own father, Watari. He eventually got over it, though.
No. I cannot ever love you as you love me. He answered himself without much thought. Never. I could never have such feelings for you. You're my child and I'm your father. It's just that simple and it's the reason why my feelings could never cross the line of being parental love. I wish not to hurt you, but I shall never share your feelings.
"Daddy, can I be your special person?" the small boy asked, breaking into L's thoughts.
L gave the child a soft smile and ruffled his curls.
"Can I, please, be your special person, Daddy?" the small boy asked again.
"No." L chuckled. "You're too young, and you will have to wait for your own special person, Near. I know you will find her…or him, someday."
"But…you're my special person...aren't you, Daddy?"
"No, I am not. I'm your father." L said firmly, scowling. "I cannot be anymore than that, or else I'd be considered a pedophile, which I am not and do not want to be. Besides that Near, I am an adult and you a small child. It would be wrong if we were anything, but a parent and offspring, understand?"
"Yes, I understand, but…Daddy…I love you." Near said kissing L's cheek tenderly.
"Good night, Near." L said ruffling his son's hair.
"Good night, Daddy." Near said as L left out of the room.
Okay, so maybe Near wasn't mentally stable, but…neither was Mello or Matt, if anything all three children were a bit crazed…no thanks to their uncle Beyond…Mello flew in and out of his rages and Matt was a very hyperactive gamer that on more than one occasion smelled of matches…curse that arsonist wannabe.
L lay in his bed as he wondered why his children acted so odd. Could it be that he was a bad parent? No. He loved and disciplined his children. If a parent can manage that, then they're good a parental figure, in L's opinion, anyway.
Perhaps…with Mello it was all of those chocolate covered lemons his mother ate before he was born…yes maybe that is the cause for his behavior. And Matt's mother smoked… and drank some alcoholic drinks before he was born, hmm, I wonder how that affected his psyche? And then, Near's mother liked eating sweets and seafood, that might have resulted in Near's oddities.
His mind went blank for a nanosecond.
L frowned. What am I thinking? They're just children, boys, to be exact. Children are sometimes wild and active especially if they are boys. Whatever they're mothers done before they were born has nothing to do with the children themselves…I hope. No, it's pure superstition. L scowled as he scolded himself. They're good boys…usually.
L drifted off into a light sleep, as there was a knock at the door. "Come in," he said sleepily. "You may enter if you wish, but please, make it brief."
The door opened and the next thing he knew Matt was at his right side and Mello on his left and Near lay on top of his chest all three boys asleep, while he drifted in and out of consciousness. He mentally face palmed. He'd been trying to get the boys to sleep in their own rooms, but when they became frightened or had nightmares…he was lenient. He soon drifted off into a pleasant sleep.
The next morning L awoke and saw that the boys had switched places over night. Matt was on his chest and Mello lay on his right side leaving Near on his left side with his small arms wrapped around L's neck. It was mornings such as these L wished he didn't have to work.
He loved his boys more than anyone he'd ever met (except for his father Watari and his adopted younger brothers Alternative and Beyond) in his entire life. The main point was that L loved his family, and he wished that he could stay with them, but knew that he had to work or he'd get behind on bills and lose the house, then he'd lose his children and there was no way in hell that he would let that happen.
He carefully got up and stalked quietly from his room. L went to a room down the hall, which was called the library, but was simply a room filled with books, which were scattered about messily and had two computers on a table in a large corner of the room.
L checked posts for any new babysitters who haven't heard, seen or been around his brood. A rookie one might say. Luckily he found one, but it was only one. He sighed and knew that if he were to keep his job he'd have to keep this babysitter longer than one day, longer than two days, heck three days would be a miracle! L quickly sent an email to the young man applying for the job. He switched the word coloring as he sent the email and was surprised when he got an immediate reply and a conversation sparked.
Conversation:
Meet me in Terrible Tavern at two in the afternoon tomorrow afternoon. I trust you will do a good job caring for my kids…but I will like to have a face-to-face meeting. Please, prepare yourself in every way possible if you are willing to accept the job. You may wish to speak with some past babysitters and I hope for your sake that you are a very (if at all) patient man.
Haha! I'm fairly patient. And I accept the meeting & job, but why Terrible Tavern and why must I be prepared for your children? Are they spoiled horrible little brats that whine every two seconds?
No. I assure you they…aren't brats or spoiled…and they are not horrible. And, well, you may not have heard of us, but we're the Lawliet's residence outside of town and a few miles from the beach. My children need someone to watch them while I'm at work and we've already been through a total of sixty two babysitters.
Wow, rough year? School must've been hard on 'em. Ya know losing babysitters left and right.
(LOL!) & (Smirk) Actually, it's been two months. & what do you mean year? It's February. And my children are home schooled, thank you very much, & I wish to meet you at Terrible Tavern, because I wish to be in a nice quiet place while we talk. It's never really full. Never. Besides I've memories of that place and like to visit every now and again.
Oh, well, may I have the name of who I shall be employing?
My name?
Yes pwease!
L. Lawliet
What are the kids' names?
Matt Jeevas, Mello Keehl and Near River...
Why're their last names all different if they're your children?
(frown) …. :(
Mr. Lawliet?
I'll answer any other questions you may have at Terrible Tavern…I just don't feel comfortable speaking of my children over the computer…I'd like to exchange further information at our meeting. Please, be prepared and ready if you truly accept this job…really, really, really, really prepared!
With that emailed L switched the computer off and proceeded to lock all the windows and doors to the house. He locked away any tools Mello could use to torment Near and hid the knives and forks in a cabinet that was way too high for Mello to reach. He set out plastic knives and forks hoping they wouldn't be used for torture purposes.
He made breakfast for the children, which was some chocolate chip pancakes for Mello (he lied about what he'd said the night before to teach Mello a lesson), Matt got regular pancakes with cinnamon on top and L made blueberry pancakes for Near, but didn't add any syrup. He knew that the albino disliked sweets. Afterwards he left the house heading for work, but since he had no car he had to walk.