Disclaimer and an Authors Note:
I don't own Death Note.
This story takes place before and after the events of deathnote.
"God damnit!"
"I'm sorry Mello."
"No you aren't you little brat!" Mello said standing up from the table. "Come one Matt, we can play cards by ourselves."
Near looked across the table at Matt. The boy didn't say anything; he just got up and left with Mello, who seemed to be taking losing round after round of 21 rather badly.
'Fine,' thought Near, 'I can play with cards by myself.' After a few minutes Near had already made a very intricate house of cards, he was getting bored. Then, from behind him, he heard a girl's voice.
"No wonder blonde kid is always mad. You cheat."
Near stopped stacking cards
"I don't cheat." Near said calmly, not looking behind him. "I count the cards."
"Yea, you cheat."
"It's not against the rules."
"But it's not how you are supposed to play the game."
"I play to win." Said Near, going back to his card house.
There was a sigh and then the girl spoke again, "It's not the same if you cheat, or sort of but not really cheat."
"Why not?"
"Feels different."
"That's your opinion." Said Near trying to block the girl out. Shouldn't she be out playing like the other kids at whammy's house?
"I suppose it is."
It was quite for a very long time. Near assumed the girl had left without saying anything else and he concentrated on his house of cards. He could hear the other kids playing on the jungle gym. Laughing and screaming and running about, like children should. Like Near never really seemed inclined to do very often.
"Do you laugh like that or are you always quite?"
Near turned around this time, the girl from earlier was sitting cross-legged on his toy box. She was playing with a stuffed sheep doll. Near wondered if she had been sitting there the whole time.
"I laugh." Said Near. "I just don't like to play outside. It's hot and dirty, there are bugs out there too."
"You don't like to play with other kids much do you?" She asked hoping down from the toy box with her doll.
Near paused for a moment, "I like puzzles. Puzzles are a one person game normally."
"Nuh-uh."
"That's not a real word." He had said trying to stack one of the last cards.
The girl pouted. "Fine, but you can put a puzzle together with someone else, and riddles are more fun with two people too."
"That's true." Said Near. "But people are a distraction, they take too long to put the pieces together. Now be quite. I have to get the last card right." Near stood on top of his chair, on his tippy toes, to reach the top of the card house.
"Why? Mello is just going to run in and knock I down." The girl said staring up at the house of cards.
"I doubt that." He said stepping down from his chair.
"We can make a bet." The girl said. "He knocks it down, you have to play with me whenever I want. If I lose, I'll leave you alone."
Near thought about the terms of the deal for a moment and then agreed. "That sounds fine."
"Promise?" She asked.
"I promise."
"You are gonna lose." The girl said laughing as she headed out the door.
"I don't lose." Near said calmly, "I just don't".