Spelling and grammatical errors are my worst nightmare, so please let me know if you find any! If I owned Death Note, do you think Mello would have died?

Eva remembered when she had first arrived at the dauntingly large orphanage, home to the most intelligent and lonely children around the world. Or so she was told.

She had gripped Watari's hand with all of her might and wished that she could melt into the floor if it meant that she would not have to endure the heated stares of the other children as she walked inside. She could feel their eyes on her as they summed her up, deciding instantaneously as to whether she would be a threat to them on their mission to succeed L.

In the middle of the intimidating group of children was a boy only a year older than her, blonde hair obscuring her view of his face. From what she could see of him though, he looked like someone she would probably stay away from. He stood at the top of a large staircase, leering at her as she walked towards the main office. She had felt safe when Watari had told her to take a seat inside the homey room, away from any potential harm he may have caused her.

However her sense of security was quickly diminished when Watari sent her back out into the main hallway and told her to find the other children. All very welcoming, he had said. Eva knew the old man had been lying the moment she was shoved roughly to the ground, the same blonde hair from before standing over her menacingly.

"Leave me alone." She had told him, her voice wavering as she tried to remain strong. She noticed another boy standing behind the blonde, preoccupied with a Gameboy held carefully in his hands.

"Are you gonna cry?" The boy had sneered at her, and Eva decided that she would not let herself become a target for this kid. She steeled herself and quickly stood to her feet. If she could stay silent as she watched large men with guns murder her parents, then she could stand up to a stupid bully.

"No." She told him adamantly, and his eyes had narrowed at her. He looked her up and down for a long moment and she remained composed, her arms crossing defensively across her chest. Then, the boy's posture had relaxed slightly and a small smile had appeared on his lips.

"I'm Mello."

Looking back on it, she wondered if she still would have shaken his hand had she known where he would lead her.

Eva knocked twice on the wooden door in front of her in courtesy before she opened it, waltzing inside to find Matt sitting alone on his bed. He glanced up at her as she entered before his attention returned to the game he would inevitably conquer.

"Where's Mello?" She asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of her voice. Matt shrugged, his eyes still remaining focused on the screen in front of him.

"Roger called him into his office." Eva let out a sigh and collapsed on Mello's bed, fingering his sheets absentmindedly.

"Is he in trouble again?" She exasperated. To her surprise, Matt shook his head lightly. That was odd, Eva thought. No one ever goes into Roger's office unless they were in trouble.

"I think Near is in there too. Seemed sort of weird." Matt told her. Eva was about to push the matter further when the bedroom door was opened roughly and Mello walked in, looking unusually composed. She was immediately suspicious because it was unbelievably rare to see Mello looking anything other than angry or determined. No, something was definitely wrong.

"Mello, is everything-,"

"I'm leaving." Mello cut her off, not sparing either of the confused children a glance as he walked briskly to his cupboard. He pulled out a duffle bag and immediately began stuffing everything he could grab inside, taking extra care to pack each and every chocolate bar he had hidden. Eva leaped off the bed in a panic, her eyes wide.

"What are you talking about? Where are you going?" Even Matt paused his game, looking up at his friend who made no move to answer Eva's frantic questions.

"Tell us what's going on, mate." Matt prompted, and Mello finally turned in their direction. He glanced between the two of them for a moment before uttering the most horrendous words to ever leave his mouth.

"L is dead." His gaze then shot to Eva, who looked absolutely terrified. Mello saw the millions of questions floating around in her big green eyes, but he did not fail to notice that one seemed to stand out among the rest. Are you leaving me? He tore his eyes away and turned to leave but was halted by a small hand gripping tightly to his wrist.

"Let go of me, Eva." He told her firmly, not daring to look back. All she ever caused him was trouble.

"If you're leaving," Eva mumbled, her words getting caught on her tongue and tumbling out of her mouth in a panic. "I'm coming with you." Mello did not allow himself so much as a second to think about it, because that was all it would have taken for him to say yes.

"No." He stated bluntly, and then ripped his hand away from her. He looked back for a moment and saw the look of utter desperation in her eyes. Before he knew it she was pushing past him and walking hastily in the direction of her room. He thought that she accepted his departure almost too easily, but tried not to dwell on the implications.

"Mello." He turned back around at the sound of Matt's voice because he knew that the gamer would not try to stop him, only offer his support. "Take care of yourself, alright?" The brown haired boy told him, and Mello gave a brisk nod.

Matt stood from his bed and approached him quickly, taking a moment to wrap his arms around his friend in a chaste hug. Mello thought it was perhaps the most affection they had ever shared in all the years of their friendship. When Matt released him, Mello turned sharply and walked out of his bedroom door, ready to leave Whammy's house behind for good.

Eva, on the other hand, was not willing to let him do that. Not without her, that was. And so she stood firmly at the gates of the orphanage she had called her home, clutching a small backpack under her arm as she fought off the cold. Her knees shook and she could feel her lips turning blue but there was nothing she could do about it because she had not yet purchased a winter coat. Roger had promised to take her out shopping next week.

When she saw a silhouette appear from inside the house she stood up straighter, allowing a hard composure to take residence over her features. Mello cursed when he saw her, but approached her with a slightly quicker pace.

"What are you doing?" He asked when he was within earshot. Eva was relieved that he was not angry, or at least not as angry as she expected. Perhaps this would be easier than she had thought.

"I told you I'm coming with you." She replied immediately. Mello stopped in front of her a moment later and took in her appearance, dressed in only her black jeans and a flimsy singlet.

"And I told you no." Eva growled at his stubbornness and let go of her backpack, using both of her hands and all of her strength to effectively shove the infuriating boy.

"Fuck you, Mello! You think I'll let you leave me behind here?" Mello let out a sigh and glanced at her a moment longer, internally debating with himself.

Sure, it would be fine and dandy for them to hold hands and skip off into the sunset together, but that wasn't going to happen and Mello didn't think she quite understood that. But the only reason he had befriended her to begin with was her strong composure, so maybe he was underestimating her. He was quite literally pushed from his thoughts when her hands hit his chest again and, caught off guard, he fell backwards into the snow that had begun to collect on the driveway.

"Cut it out!" He yelled at her angrily, standing back up abruptly. She snarled at him lightly and Mello rolled his eyes, realising that she had just convinced him on his decision. He shrugged out of his large jacket, instantly missing the protection against the cold that he was offered from the fur around the hood. She looked at him in confusion as he offered the jacket to her, his arm outstretched and his eyes looking anywhere but at her.

"What are-,"

"Fucking take it!" He snapped, waving the jacket slightly until her slender fingers took it from his grasp. "You're gonna be cold out here, otherwise. Can't have you dying of frostbite on me." He muttered, his eyes finally shooting back down to her. She smiled widely at him as she pulled the jacket on, appreciating the long sleeves that protected her hands from the chill.

"It's wet." Eva commented, frowning slightly up at Mello as he walked out through the large iron gates of the orphanage. She heard him scoff from in front of her as she rushed to catch up to him.

"It's your own fault, idiot." He told her with disdain and she grinned up at him, unable to contain her happiness in that moment. Mello thought she must have been crazy to be so happy to leave her home, but he didn't understand. She wasn't leaving her home; she was running away with it. With him. Because her home was his hand in hers and she would follow him to the ends of the Earth if he would let her.

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