Perfect Blue

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Often times, colourblind Kerosene would go to find Near, simply to ask him what colour something was. She did it all the time, no matter where they were.

Near, what colour is that car? What colour is that building? What colour is L's cake?

To Near, it seemed never-ending; he was always being harassed to describe what the colours "felt" like. He hated this. He could barely deal with normal human emotions, so how was he supposed to explain how a colour made you feel? The few times he didn't mind was when the object in question was already a shade of black or grey, for Kero would simply say 'Oh', and walk away.

One afternoon, while Kero was sitting on the floor of Near's bedroom, watching him build a house of cards, she asked,
"What colour are your eyes, Near?" she smiled, waiting patiently for an answer. The boy didn't look up, just kept carefully stacking the cards while considering the question. After a moment, Kero cleared her throat,
"Near, I asked—" he cut her off,
"I heard you, Kerosene."

The truth was, Near wasn't sure whether or not he should answer her question truthfully. He'd never lied to Kero about the colour of something before, but he wasn't so sure this time. Why? Because Near's eyes were grey, just like the rest of Kero's world. He had started to notice that she seemed slightly sad when she learned that something was simply monochromatic. Kero was put off when an inanimate object was grey…how would she react to finding out that someone she cared about was just as plain. Finally, after much hesitation, Near decided to answer,
"Blue." He said in his quiet voice.
"Hmm?" Kero looked at him and tilted her head, her blonde hair falling away from her face.
"My eyes are blue." He repeated, feeling slightly guilty. A smile broke out over her face,
"Really?" she asked, sounding excited.
"Mhm..." Near still refused to look up.
"Just like mine then! Near, we have something in common! I told you that there had to be something."

When the boy finally looked up after a few minutes of silence (which was never a good sign when Kerosene was around), he found her staring at the ceiling, a dreamy look on her face,
"You know…I bet our eyes are a perfect blue," she said in almost a whisper, "Bright and cheerful…just like the sky on a sunny day." Kero looked at Near, who was unable to break her gaze. She searched his eyes for any signs of emotion for a moment, but then gave a slightly sad, but knowing smile. She moved to gently drape her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his and whispering,
"Thank you, Near."

---owari---