Things Change - Chapter One
Author's Note: Hello, wonderful reader. I found this fanfiction in the depths of hell I like to call "My Documents", and decided to post it. I'll keep writing it, of course. Anyways, this chapter is pretty much just flashbacks so you can get to know more about my OCs. Next chapter will be more exciting. And no, the flashbacks are not in Raven's POV, they're more like a narrator going over what she sees in her head when she goes over the memories. e_e Yeah. Let me know what you think of it. R&R! :D
She sat on the couch, awaiting a call from "that stupid albino", as she called him, about some pictures he had. That was one of the many things her and Mello used to have in common; not only their competitive nature, but their hatred towards Near. Back at Wammy's, Raven and Mello always tied scores, but that never changed the fact that Near was constantly at the top.
(Flashback) Roger sat at his desk, across from two angry teens.
"What do you MEAN, we're tied for second place?" the girl, Raven, shouted at the old man.
"Yeah! Just decide which of us is better and put the other in third!" Mello, the blonde boy beside her, yelled in turn.
"Calm down, you two. I can't, because there is no possible way to judge which of you is better. Every single test you've done, you've scored the same. I'm not going to push one of you down to third for no reason, while the other undeservingly gets to keep second place," the old man explained, hoping not to be yelled at by the two again.
"So what, you're just going to have two second places?" Raven asked more calmly, but still angrily.
"Well, yes, I suppose that is what will have to happen. You two will share second place until one of your scores drops," the old man finished. Raven sighed and nodded, the more calm of the two of them, as always. Mello had nothing to say, he just glared at Roger and walked out of the room, followed by Raven shortly after.
The black-haired girl turned to look at Mello, who just glared at her with eyes full of hatred, and turned to walk down to his room. Not knowing what to say but knowing she wanted to say something, all Raven could do was watch him. They had been friends before this, and she knew things would never be the same now that all Mello wanted to do was beat her. Now he'd hate her as much as both she and him hated Near. Not wanting to go back to her room, she walked out the front doors of the orphanage and outside, towards one of the trees she particularly enjoyed climbing.
Staring off into the distance, thinking about everything while sitting comfortably on a big tree branch high up in her tree, Raven didn't hear the orphanage doors open several feet away from the tree. Because of this, it scared the hell out of the girl when a rock hit her in the arm.
"Get down from there. I want to talk to you," the blonde boy yelled up to her from the ground. Somewhat shocked at the fact he was talking to her again and not in the mood to argue, she nodded and jumped from her branch to a lower one, then onto the ground. She leaned on the tree and tried to look like she didn't care what he had to say. "I don't want to stop being friends with you," he looked at her straight in the eye, momentarily showing emotion in his piercing blue eyes, and she kept herself from grinning. "Together, we can beat Near. If Roger's making us share second place..." the blonde continued.
"Then we can make him let us share first place!" she finished, with the fire of determination in her eyes. He nodded and grinned at her, and Raven knew that she was right, things would never be the same; they wouldn't just be friends, they'd be best friends. (End Flashback)
Raven, now so much different than back then, no longer smiled at that memory; but in the back of her mind she still remembered how much she loved Mello, and she still wished that she had told him when she had the chance. She no longer smiled at anything; she didn't have time for happiness anymore. But she couldn't help herself from remembering all of the others she had become close with back in what Jade now calls "the good old days",.
(Flashback) When a boy in stripes arrived at the orphanage, soon followed by a hyperactive girl, they quickly claimed third and fourth place in the ranks. This is what originally drew Raven and Mello's attention to them, the two now being inseperable. However, the black-haired teen was surprised to see that the hyper girl, calling herself Jade, was actually a childhood friend of hers from Japan, where they both grew up. The two girls immediately became best friends again, and though he didn't show it, Mello was jealous of the time Raven spent with her, instead of always spending it with him.
Matt, the boy constantly clad in striped shirts and goggles, found himself spending more time with Raven, Jade and Mello, who had started hanging out as a group. He was quickly accepted, mainly by Jade who shared his love of video games, and then became best friends with Mello, who had never taken a liking to Jade (although he'd never admit it, it was because she stole Raven's attention). Eventually, the four of them grew to be the closest friends possible. (End Flashback)
She looked at her phone. Seeing that there were still no calls or messages, Raven sighed in irritation at being left to her thoughts once again. The only memory she hated to remember made its way into her mind, and she frowned, reliving the day that changed her.
(Flashback) Everything was perfect, for all of them, or at least the closest any of them had experienced to it in their lives. Matt and Jade had video game competitions almost every evening, while Raven and Mello studied together for a while; until the Japanese girl couldn't help but join in the fun the other two were having, and eventually, missing having the Raven beside him and secretly envious of the looks of enjoyment on his friends' faces, Mello joined in too. Soon enough, they were all laughing, grinning, throwing pillows at each other, spilling their snacks and pop all over the ground,and overall, just being genuinely happy.
And then one day, Near, Mello and Raven were called down to Roger's office. None of them had any idea what it was about, but both Mello and Raven secretly hoped that their test scores had beaten Near's, that they were taking first place. Near really didn't care what it was about, he knew he'd find out when he got there.
And then, within the span of five minutes, everything changed. Roger had told them the news; L was dead. He had wanted all three of them to succeed him, to work together, and before Raven had the chance to say anything, Mello had declined and declared that he was leaving Wammy's. He then walked out of the room, leaving the black-haired girl to stare at him and try her best to control how badly she wanted to cry, to scream and yell, to fucking punch that asshole who called himself her best friend. She calmly walked out of the room after him, then started running towards his and Matt's room.
After an hour, she had cried, screamed, yelled and even punched Mello, just like her feelings predicted. But nothing she did could change it. He was leaving. It was certain. Her best friend, the guy she kinda wanted to be more than best friends with, one of the only people she had ever trusted, was leaving and she was sure she would never see him again.
"We couldn't beat him by working together, Raven. Doing the same thing forever won't have a new outcome. I'll beat him on my own. I have to leave, I have no choice," the blonde had told her, and those words always stayed with her, no matter how much she wanted to forget. At that moment, she didn't bother asking the question that she wondered; "what about me?", because she knew he wouldn't care, she knew he hadn't even thought about her when he left. She also knew it didn't matter, because he was gone and she couldn't change it. And the next day, she left, too. (End Flashback)
She shook her head in disregard; she didn't want to remember that day. She didn't want to remember any of it. It was useless to her now. She wasn't back at Wammy's anymore, she was in Japan. Where she found her little sister like she promised she would when they were kids, and where she found Jade, who she now worked with to catch Kira on their own.
"You're thinking about them again, aren't you?" asked the now less hyper girl, who had changed more than a little bit herself, as she walked into the living room and sat on the couch across from Raven. All she got was a glare in response, but Jade just smiled in return to that. "I have been too. Meeting with Near sure brings back memories, doesn't it?" she continued, already knowing the answer but not expecting to hear it from the other girl. The two sat in silence until Raven's phone finally rang.