ONESHOT TIME!
The second Death Note Files Challenge! "An intense game of chess between Mello and Near".
This took a little ingenuity. And a little tension between characters. And some snacks. Yum.
Enjoy! A story for all ages. I do not own nor take part in any Death Note characters/ original ideas/ things.
***(Headsup: ALSO this is posted on TheNintendoFanGirl's deviantART page, which is also me)
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Fall of the King
The park was silent. A small, pale boy waited before the moonless, but starlit sky. His white rumpled clothing reflected a yellow tone from the ignorant streetlight. He sat like a lost child on a park bench with a cold metal table in front of him. After what seemed like hours into the night, another boy appeared from the darkness surrounding the light. He was, in actuality, older than the smaller boy, but appeared much more aged and hardened. Half of his face was charred and darkened with shadows. His blonde hair coordinated with the yellow park lamp.
"So you came after all. I suppose you've been waiting since eleven?" Mello said, sly as a fox, calm as a bird of prey.
"Of course. I waited. I always will wait. I knew you wouldn't dishonor your own arrangement," Near said, meeting the other with lazy eyes. "You came here to prove something, and I will give you your chance." Mello sat down on the park bench in front of the table, opposite from Near. Upon the table, he eyed a simple chess board, very much loved and worn, and smiled. The pieces glistened in the falsified lighting. Mello would be black, like the old days.
"Hmm, you've kept it even after the home," Mello said, "As many battles as we've had, I haven't won one."
"I know how desperately that annoys you," Near gestured his head in small sarcastic emphasis to 'desperately, "No talk of work or our progress in the Kira case during the game. Just remember, I never let people win. Shall we begin?" Mello's smile disappeared, and without a word, he moved his dark, black knight and the battle commenced.
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An outcome. A plastic, large and important game piece fell to the glaze of the chessboard surface. The piece rolled painfully slow past its fallen comrades and off the board, and gravity rolled it off the edge of the park table. They heard the small yet significant clink clink hit the stone pavement. Its glorious cross atop its crown had fallen with its master, doomed to fail with it.
"I. Beat. You. Your king has fallen, and I still remain! I am victorious!" Mello eyes darted across the battlefield of a chessboard. A wide smile was pinned on his lips. "I am King." He finished and sat back on the bench.
"Oh how childish." Near sneered. There were little pieces left on the board, but Near fingered a tall one and moved his queen, "Checkmate." Mello looked confused and scrunched his nose.
"No, the game is over. I win."
"Say my troops didn't know the King is dead. Say that they still have a mind of their own and there's still hope. Say that they can still continue without the King."
"I don't have to say anything. I claimed my victory over you. The objective is to kill the King. So I have."
"You love to play by the rules, don't you?" Near asked indifferently, not meeting Mello's eyes. Mello flinched. This was quite the insult.
"What are you trying to prove, you little punk!" He growled, standing up to slam his face beside the chessboard. Mello wanted Near to meet his eyes, but he did not.
"If my King was L, and you are Kira, then L would be dead and the task force would yet remain. Flip over the chess board, and I see your point of view. The obstacle may be rid of for you, my dear Kira, but the team shall still be searching. The team can still yet win the game," at that, Near raised his head slightly and sullenly stared at Mello, who was reddening in the face and becoming more furious.
"You dare compare me to Kira? No! No no no no!" He shook his head as if he was convincing himself. "I've never seen you be a sore loser like this. You're mad that I beat you at this fine final destination," he paused, "Did you plan this from the beginning?"
"What did I tell you before we started? I never let anyone win."
"Alright. Say the task force, or whoever your team is, is alone after L. You plan to come in and lead 'em all to the heavenly light of justice? To be L's true successor?" Again, Near remained quiet. He was wise to know when not to speak. Mello shook his head, "You lost, you know."
"It's not losing. It's tactics with different results."
"Call it what you like. It's not fair!" Shadows draped down his cheeks.
"'Course not. Don't you think I know that? It's a test, and people cheat in tests as well as life; it's a matter of being clever. And succeeding."
"If you want a real game of chess, we shall see who will win," Mello shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk away, until he turned around with a determined expression, "May the best man, or child, win." Mello's voice teased the word 'child', and he waited for Near to react. Near made no effort to return the insult. Mello scoffed and turned. Just as he came, he walked away, disappearing into the darkness that waited outside of the streetlamps. Near waited several moments before whispering to himself.
"You also forget, that we are on the same side."
Regardless of cause or whose victory, they were fighting for the same goal. May the best man win, indeed.
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AFTERNOTE (*spoilersss*):
Yes. I made Near kind of a jerk. I personally give Mello the credit he deserves ;)
Thanks for reading!