Chapter One / May 2003

'It begins.'

Everyone was sat around their lunch tables staring at the white haired man intently. Roger – the manager of Wammy's house – stood in front of the main notice board having just rung the bell to capture our attentions.

He cleared his throat before he spoke, "In light of the apparent lack of enthusiasm shown in recent months, the students of this institution are to be presented with a challenge of wits – so to speak."

There were many varied reactions from the small hall of students, most of which were inquisitive while some just sounded very bored by the idea. I stared down at the food on my plate, playing with it half-heartedly until I heard someone ask, "What do you mean, Roger?" It was one of the younger girls – Jay I think her name was – she seemed to sink into her seat when all attentions shifted toward her.

"I was contacted this morning with the proposition and instructed to let you all know immediately; however the full details of the challenge will arrive at a later date." He glanced quickly down at his interlaced hands before one rose to push his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. "It will take place this weekend so it will not interfere with classes – it also does not exempt you from any work you are set to do outside of the classroom. Working with another student you will be expected to advance through each task to the very end."

I snorted indignantly, turning to my best friend who was greedily shoving pineapple cubes into his mouth. "Is there really any point then? Just more work outside of work." My friend laughed through his full mouth and shrugged.

I was surprised when he directed the last comment at me; I didn't think I had been that loud. "I take it that the prize – a private meeting with L – is enough to spark your interests."

––––

"Hey, Robin!" I ignored the call of my name, "Robin I know you hear me, do not ignore me!" It became more of a whine as the person spoke – I was half aware of them moving closer to me.

"For the love of God, Combo!" I squealed as the soggy towel landed across my thighs, "Was there any need? It doesn't take two seconds to walk over here and just put it down!" The face I pulled as I angrily threw the wretched cloth away from me must have been amusing because the laughter from my companion soon caught my full attention.

"I am sorry but you were so engrossed in that book of yours, how could I pass up such an opportunity?" He sent me a cheeky wink before running back to the side of the pool, picking up another kid along the way and throwing her not so gracefully into the deep end.

I playfully glared at his back for a few moments then looked back down at the book in my left hand; the intense moment had been ruined by my friend. Combo was a flamboyant kind of guy, the complete opposite of me – I suppose that's one reason why the two of us got along so well. He was an extrovert; outgoing, confident and incredibly flirty, though you'd never be able to tell that from his appearance; his brown eyes matched his dark hair perfectly, you wouldn't give him a second look in passing – a complete contrast to his bubbly personality. I on the other hand stood out like a sore thumb despite my more reserved nature; my bright red hair was the main reason for that. Sometimes the attention I received was welcomed; it seemed a lot of people thought it was beautiful, they'd say it was lovely and raved about how lucky I was to have something so defining. There were others, however, who didn't have quite the same take on it.

I sighed happily as I tucked a stray lock behind my ear, pushing up off of the ground to stand up and stretch. It was a Friday afternoon in May; the weather was surprisingly warm for the time of year so most of us had taken full advantage of the chance to relax outdoors. That or work ourselves up over the possibilities of the challenge we had been presented with. Unlike Combo; who had spent the last two hours running around and chuckling heartily, I'd taken to lying on the grass and reading one of my favourite novels – easily getting lost in the moment despite knowing what was to happen. I began to make my way into the entrance of the building, looking over my shoulder to throw a goodbye to Combo, which was met with a faint 'I will see you soon,' in reply.

After making my way through the place I called my home I arrived at my room, as I stepped in I was met with the mess of clothes and paper that had been left for me to clean up. I stared at it for a minute or two, contemplating whether to leave it be or clean it before I worked; as usual I settled for the former. Next to the mess in the room was the sleeping bag that Combo had occupied the night before; I would often wake up to find him asleep there despite the fact that if Roger ever found out about him being in the girl's halls after curfew he'd be dead meat. I'd protested for a while after I noticed his habit beginning to form – mainly because of the state my floor ended up in the morning after – but in the end I couldn't blame him. See, the room next door to his was home to Matt who had been affectionately dubbed 'the compulsive gamer,' he'd often stay up into the early hours of the morning clicking away at games and generally keeping those around him awake.

It didn't take long for me to finish the few assignments that I was given that morning despite the distracting cries of joy from outside – God, how I wanted to be out there. I quickly shut my book as I finished writing the last word in my work; a few years ago I would have just written some half-assed attempt the night before it was due. However, following the promotion in rank that I'd received not long before, I began to get a new motivation for my studies. Throughout my life I'd found that tests came quite easy; I had something that many people would call a photographic memory, so really I would just need to quickly look through my notes beforehand. I began to work harder once Combo had been working on a police case as work experience; being eleventh in line I wasn't allowed to help him, it was definitely weird being without him for so long.

"Have you finished for today?" I heard as I placed the book into my bedside drawer, "It got boring without you outside."

"All I did was sit and read – you were the one running around terrorising others." Frowning slightly, I made my way towards the brunette. He'd gotten himself comfortable leaning his back against the doorframe, hands in his pockets.

"Ah, but I missed you," he said, opening up his arms and quickly engulfing me in an uncomfortable hug. "All I could think about was my poor little Robin in her room all alone."

I pulled out of his arms and strode out towards the dinner hall, only stopping a little further on to give him a chance to catch up to me. "I got all of my work done, that's a good night by my standards. You know being alone isn't half as bad as you make it out to be."

"Yes, yes. You have to work hard to stay at number five, right?" I swore I could see him pout slightly from the corner of my eye.

"Well I'd feel silly if I got demoted already." I replied, folding my arms. "I can't rely on my examination results to pull my grade up all the time."

"You know that it does not matter what you do in here; when we leave I am dragging you around with me anyway." He looked over to me, mimicking the smile that was on my lips.

"So does that mean I can expect you to be my partner in this challenge, then?"

"I would say yes," he said. "But I do not think they will give us a choice when it comes to who we work with."

That surprised me – I knew that no further details had been made general knowledge yet. "Why's that?"

"It would be too easy if we all simply chose our own partners because we know how we work best with them."

"So Near would win as usual, if that were the case?" I considered the possibility of many of the lower ranking students giving up because they knew they would be beaten.

He shook his head before responding to me, "No, I actually think it would be Mello and Matt this time."

I instantly knew why he came to this conclusion. "Oh right; because Near doesn't normally work with anybody else?" I disagreed with him though, "I don't think he'd have a problem finding one though; anyone would be willing to work with the best. They'd probably just go with whatever he said without thinking twice about it."

Combo leaned towards me and messed up the top of my hair and casually draped his arm over my shoulders while I got to work at flattening it back down; letting a sound of dissatisfaction escape me. He didn't even try to come back at my thoughts, making me wonder if he had even listened in the first place. I sometimes wondered how I managed to put up with that boy; he always seemed to take control when we were working together. I'd get to the point where I was ready to confront him about it when he'd do something completely unnecessary and give me much more credit than I was due.

There was one instance when I had briefly skim-read some notes he had written while working on another one of his practise cases; even though I wasn't allowed to work by his side for it, it didn't stop me from checking up on him. He was incredibly messy, unorganized and because of that could struggle with making pieces fit – I remember he was getting stressed because he couldn't prove how the evidence he had lead him to his own conclusion. He was about to scramble through the piles of paper he had scattered around him when I asked why the chipped nail on the victim was underlined, with this he pounced on me, repeatedly telling me thanks before ushering me out of the room. Apparently he'd made out to everyone that I did just as much work as he had; he was definitely one to dramatize things.

"I suppose." I decided that response was enough.

––––

I glanced at the clock by the side of Matt – 9 PM – I'd obviously been sat with him a lot longer than I had thought because any light remaining from the blazing sun had long since gone. Matt was excitedly mashing the buttons on his controller as various different colours shone over his face accompanied by the loud sounds of bangs and zooms.

"You look more animated than I think I've ever seen you." He smirked in response, dropping the controller on the ground upon being announced the victor.

"Really? I'm sure you've seen me play more than once..."

"Today in particular."

He grinned, turning his head to look toward his bed and his blue eyes soon landed on his silent friend. The boy clad in black shifted his attention from the textbook in his lap, feeling all eyes in the room fall on him. "That's because we're excited. Right, Mello?"

Ah, Mello. The only reason I knew the guy was because we had Matt as a friend in common – any time I ever saw him he would be studying or working so we had never spoken properly. I suppose that whenever he'd finished hanging out with Matt and begun to work that the younger teen hunted me down for company. I'd heard a lot about him though; the younger kids seemed to think he was intimidating – there'd also been rumours going around about him beating up other residents at one point. To be honest the whole thing left me with no desire to get to know him; I knew I shouldn't be listening to gossip, but it was hard to ignore when he looked as moody as he did.

"Right."

"Obvious question – you two want to be paired up?" I inquired.

"We're already aware that we most likely won't, if that's what you're about to say." The blonde stopped me from going any further and tossed me an icy stare. "I couldn't care less who I work with as long as they're not a complete dumbass." He seemed very motivated about the whole thing.

The look I gave him was probably blank; I knew his reasoning after all, pretty much the whole of Wammy's knew. "What if it's Near?" I could tell the clenching of his fist was a non-verbal warning for me to shut up, so I did as I was told.

Mello proceeded to skulk out; grabbing a pair of pyjamas from his drawers as he left to the bathroom, I suddenly felt very awkward being in the room – I seemed to have made myself unwelcome there. Matt closed the thick curtains to block out the yellow glow from the streetlight outside of his window; turning on his lamp in compensation and swiftly powered up his computer. Matt was a technogeek through and through; it was doubtful that he spent even a day without being near a computer or a game, because of this he got a reputation for being anti-social or awkward. On some levels this accusation was true; on the rare occasion that Matt was talking to someone he didn't know very well he would shuffle constantly, his eyes scanning the room trying to escape. It was adorable, really.

He must have noticed how I was feeling because he patted the bed twice, signalling me over. "Don't worry yourself about it; you know it's just his soft spot. He's annoyed with Near, not you."

"That doesn't make me feel any better – the idea of him angry scares the crap out of me." I perched myself on the edge of the space he'd offered to me and leaned my forehead on the side of his arm.

"Mel is a softie deep down," he leaned to the side slightly as he spoke which indicated that he didn't want the physical contact while he played. "It's a shame that people assume he's a ticking time bomb; ready to explode at any moment."

I picked at the threads on my white blouse, I wasn't sure if there was any subtext in Matt's remark but I assumed so. He didn't seem to like my silence so he continued; "You should try talking to him some time."

I knew it! I cast him a weary stare which he ignored; focusing on Tetris as though the comment he'd made was simply offhand. It was obvious that Matt cared a lot for Mello – you'd rarely see him on his own – no matter how much he tried to disguise it. The two of them had joined Wammy's house at similar times, it was before the extension of the boy's wing so they had initially been forced to bunk together. I vaguely remember a few of the kitchen staff whisper about how to seemed silly to put two very different children together; especially considering Matt refused to speak to anyone for the first few months of his stay. No one quite knew why but the two seemed to click; they became inseparable. Roger had wanted to move Matt to a new room – we all knew that Mello would refuse if it were him – but he was determined to stay put. The pair were the only ones in the orphanage, despite the enormous amount of space, that shared a room.

"I can't see the two of us getting along…" I paused for a second, "We're very different people." I'd be lying if I said that I'd tried to have a lengthy talk with Mello before, which upon thinking about; made me feel incredibly guilty. I didn't even know him yet I was still making assumptions!

"That's what they said about him and I, isn't it? They wanted me to stay with Combo at first." He crinkled his nose, not appearing too fond of the whole idea.

I couldn't help but laugh at the thought; even after nine years Matt was still awkward around the brunette, Combo was a little too much for him to handle. I supposed the fact that Combo had developed some form of dislike for the other redhead didn't help much either. "Oh God, you'd have been three miles deeper into that shell of yours than you were to begin with."

A comfortable silence followed; Matt seemed to be settling down for the night which was unusually early for him – I associated it with preparing for the upcoming fun. I absentmindedly surveyed the room that I scarcely entered; it was a lot unlike my own – minimalist and white – sporting mostly reds and wooden textures, it fit the old building well. The desk that the boy was playing at neatly displayed a pile of lined paper and a selection of pens, it faced away from the two beds - probably for Mello's benefit. To say the room was for two people and had to hold all of Matt's junk, there was enough space, the place was quite cosy and felt safe; like a small haven for the two teenagers.

We began to chat about anything and everything – that was one thing about the gamer; he never was dull. Neither of us noticed the subject of our conversation make a stealthy entrance until he made a light hearted joke at Matt's impending loss to the machine.

"Come on man, you're letting yourself down!" Mello teased from the spot adjacent to me.

"Am I actually going to see you fail Matt?" I questioned.

"There's a first for everything."

"Ha! Maybe I'll actually be able to beat him at something now!"

Mello smirked, "Well he does seem to belosing his touch."

Matt struggled against his computer; desperately trying to prevent the rows of blocks from reaching the top and I was slightly taken aback at how natural this banter between the three of us seemed to be. "Come on guys; you're putting me off!" He seemed to think Tetris was much more intense than it really was.

"Isn't it the long one that people normally want?" I leaned back on my hands and stared at the screen intently. "What do you need?"

"Can't you see? I need the – oh – oh shit! No!" Matt cried in defeat as the tower of blocks became too much, all while slumping against the backrest of his chair. "Damn it!"

I rolled my eyes at how over dramatic he seemed to make the situation; you'd never see him react this way at anything else. "Your score hadn't changed in the fifteen minutes. You couldn't have gotten any higher no matter how much you tried."

He shrugged and began a new game nonetheless, "I've managed to play for another half an hour beyond that point."

"Where in the hell do you get your patience from?" Mello asked while positioning himself so that he was leaning on the back of his friend's chair; watching from over his shoulder.

"Years of dealing with the two of you?" Matt came back at him while briefly looking over his shoulder at his roommate; "Stop eating chocolate over me, Mel. You're gonna get bits of it in my hair."

The playful air was refreshing; I couldn't remember the last time I'd managed to relax and have a laugh so much with someone other Combo. The two of them did seem like brothers; joking around and being completely comfortable in each other's presence – in all honesty, I was a little jealous.

"As if I'd waste it on you." The older of the two retorted.

I really didn't think anything could ruin such a peaceful moment – I began to think about how wrong I was about Mello, he could be a welcoming guy when he wanted to be, just as matt said.

That was until he looked towards me and stared with his signature aquamarine eyes, "I'm going to sleep, so you have to go now."

Yeah...forget that.

––––

When I woke up the next morning I noticed the distinct lack of a snoring mass to my side; Matt must have gone to sleep not too long after I had left – well, was kicked out. The sun was blinding me through the curtains I failed to shut before I fell onto my bed into a catatonic state; I groaned and rolled onto my side. I hated not being a morning person; just like I hated everyone who was. The only thing that was willing me to get up was the prospect of winning the challenges that weekend and gaining the chance to meet my idol.

After showering to force myself awake and pulling on my trademark white blouse and waistcoat, I made a bee-line to the hall. There was no point in searching out any of my companions – I knew they'd be there eagerly waiting any news. I did, however, have to dodge the floods of younger children – running around and yelling in excitement. How bloody annoying, I wish they'd keep it down a little. Did I mention that I hated mornings? Yes? Well add children to the forming list.

"Come on everyone, quiet down now. It's only -" I looked down to my watch, "Eight-thirty? Jesus Christ, why am I awake at this time?"

I was met with a series of 'Okay Robin' and 'Sorry!' responses but the sound continued regardless. I sighed, mentally cursing my lack of ability to scorn kids and pushed through the doors that kept me from my breakfast.

"Ay! Robin you are up so early!" Combo was much too cheery. He waved at me from our usual table; next to the window that displayed the courtyard and was conveniently placed near the table of fruit – which was constantly attacked by the boy.

"Don't remind me. I feel like dying." I collapsed into my seat. He rolled his eyes and stood up; I assumed he was getting my bacon sandwich for me. He better had anyway.

I watched the rain pour from my seat – it was typical really, the sun may have still been out but I'd expected it to be pleasant weather all weekend so it had to be the opposite. I played with a section of my fringe which had almost completely dried and wondered if I should've sorted it all before I left my room, it was probably going to dry curly.

"Two rashers absolutely drenched in ketchup!" I heard the brunette sing, pushing the plate towards me. "Eat up, honey."

"I fucking love you, Combo." I moaned into my sandwich as I bit it, the ketchup dribbling down the side of my mouth.

He made a disgusted face and moved to wipe it off with a napkin, "You eat like such an elegant woman."

I slapped his hand away and licked the tomato sauce away myself; I had an issue with it – I admit. "Mm, thanks. No messing with the sauce though."

"I'll lick it off for you next time – you could use the lesson in sharing." He wiggled his tongue at me and laughed at his own joke.

"Shut up and eat your fruit."

He had piled a ridiculous amount of pineapple onto his crockery; any normal person would think it was to feed a whole table but he'd have no trouble polishing it off. The room gradually filled with everyone from the house and soon Roger was getting ready to address us all – I was rather pleased with myself for waking up when I did. Everyone would have been waiting for me otherwise. I saw a blob of read look towards me from the corner of my eye, when I turned I was met with the shining image of Matt tossing me a thumbs up and a warm smile, I gave him a quick one back.

"I understand that all of you are all very excited about what to come – I can assure you that I do not want to be waiting around here as much as you don't. So I ask that you all listen closely and then we can begin as soon as possible." Roger drawled and motioned for the members of staff that stood by his side to pick up the five piles of envelopes in front of him.

"You will all be given a partner which was chosen at random for you by the members of staff here and will be expected to work with them throughout this ordeal." He awkwardly sat down in his padded chair and continued, "The letters in front of me contain the name of that person – I don't want any complaints or any whinging, you'll get what you're given."

Shit. I knew this was coming but it didn't help with my social anxiety at all, the only consolation was that I knew Matt was in the same boat. Roger seemed to be finished with this section of his speech while the workers desperately tried to keep up with the crowds of bubbling orphans gathering around them. I could hear some groaning and shrieks of pleasure from those who already had theirs; the loudest groan came from the boy I sat with as he threw his letter into the middle of the table.

"Thank you." I smiled politely to Mary, one of the cooks, as she handed me mine. The neatly written alias on the front stared at me for a while, as I built up the courage to open it.

"Who were you landed with?" Combo looked sour as he waved a pineapple cube in front of his face. "I got old gamer freak."

"Matt is lovely, stop complaining." I carefully unfolded the paper, not wanting to crinkle it in any way.

"But I wanted you!" He whined and tried to hold my hands.

"Get off!"

He pulled the paper away from me before I got the chance to look down at it – the way his eyes widened scared me. "Do I even want to know?"

He passed it back to me, "You are fucked."

Sucking in a breath I looked. Mello.

"I should have stayed in bed this morning, shouldn't I?" I felt worry distil in my stomach as I looked toward the area that I knew Mello sat and I was surprised to see he was already returning my gaze. He gave me a simple nod paired with a smirk and then snapped his head to Matt, momentarily distracted from the conversation he was having.

I gathered something from this gesture; at least Mello didn't think I was a 'complete dumbass.'

––––

A/N: So hello everyone! That was part one of my first fanfiction 'Sidekick!' I hope it was bearable. Honestly, this first chapter was such a pain, I wanted to introduce Robin in a way other than describing her in one huge block and then shove the relationships between her and everyone else down your throat too. I think it worked moderately well, even though not much happened – the action should kick off in the next chapter – so I hope you all continue reading after this. I'm desperately trying to make my characters believable but I'm worried they come off as boring; they seemed to take centre stage in this thing too...gaah! First chapters, are you normally this tricky?

'Till next time!

-Rai.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note in any; way, shape or form.