He was young, and naïve, and adorable. This meeting would be difficult, to say the least. It had been almost three years since L had been to Whammy House…Three years since he had seen Near. The day he left, L witnessed Near cry, he saw the boy breakdown. For Near, this was very uncharacteristic. He had mostly kept a straight face. Blank of any emotion to anyone who didn't know him well.

"Nate, I'll come back, I promise." L said. The words hung lightly in the air before Near responded.

"promises mean nothing…but I will believe you."

"just don't cry over me."

"I won't." Near said as one last tear fell from his eye and rolled down his pale cheek, coming to die on his lips. "just come back to Near soon." He let go of the fabric of L's white shirt. It had been rubbing into the elders wrist leaving a small red mark, that stung only slightly.

The black vehicle that contained L and his loyal assistant Watari, had pulled up in front of the older, church like building. L took one last look at the final letter he had received from Near. It read simply, but carefully:

"Progress Report: I am missing you to death."

The black and shiny vehicles' door opened. The bright daylight was now shining through where a tinted window had been. Shielding L from the outside. L's slender figure slid effortlessly out of the car. He was in front of the building so much of his life had been spent in. Hunched and craving cake, he walked steadily and barefoot to the door.

"Watari," he began, stopping dead in his tracks. "leave me here. Go and take a break for a while. I insist." his blackened hair was covering about half of his pale face, hiding the dark circles that held all the mysteries of his eyes.

"Yes L. If you are to need my assistance do call. I will come for you later. Goodbye." with that Watari shut L's door and got back into the drivers seat and drove off. L stared at the building that he knew so well, yet forgot so much about. A chilled wind brought L back from his thoughts. Shivering, he walked towards the orphanage. Careful not to make much of a sound he opened the door. He was closer to seeing Near again. The smile across his face was a rare , but beautiful sight.

As the door opened L saw two young boys, sitting in the main hallway, one in all white loose fitting pajamas, with white rather fluffy and curly hair, playing with…no rather stacking dice. This was Near. The other child was in all black. His pants looked uncomfortably tight and his shirt was showing his stomach. He had a bar of chocolate in his hand, the other hand, knocking down several of the stacks Near had made. The dice were restacked and knocked again. The other boy, with golden strands of hair over his eyes, looked up at L and smirked. He destroyed Nears entire building.

"Hello. I'm Mello." the boy said blandly, standing about three inches shorter than L's 5'10 frame. L had assumed this based on the fact that in his current hunched position he was eye to eye with the teen. "You must be L. Near has told me much about you."

"Yes." was the response "I have never heard your name from him…Mello." he said Mello almost questioning the name. He knew the Childs real name. He was Whammy's second highest student. He was Mihael. Mihael Keehl.

"oh, well…alright. It's very nice to meet you too." Mello said sarcastically as L sauntered over to sit next to Near. The smaller boys face was sprinkled with pink. "Near, come we. We have work to do!"

"no, it'll be alright. Just bring it here." L said picking up a die from the crashed pile Mello made. "I am rather certain I can help either of you with what it is you are working on."

"fine then!" Mello shouted rather child like and folded his arms over his chest. He huffed away, kicking down the tower Near and L had started to rebuild together.

"Mello is not taking an exceptional liking to L." a pale hand reached up to twirl a snow white curl. Near looked up at L with owl eyes "Mello is very over dramatic. He wants the undivided attention of others." the slate grey of Near's eyes meeting with the jet black of L's.

"Near, I will always be here for you. Through whatever may come." L said pulling Near to his chest "I wont ever leave you."

Near looked up into giant panda eyes- as he liked to refer to them as- that L possessed "L just lied." Near responded looking away. "L is leaving Near tomorrow. And he doesn't plan on coming back either.." Near fidgeted with the small robot toy in his hands.

"tomorrow, I might be leavening, I have a job to do. I cant stay here. But I do plan to come visit. And as long as you love me, I wont be gone from your heart."

Near thought, it was plain in his eyes, but then shook his head. "love will tear us apart…again."

'is it possible that I should have thought nothing less of L, so to have come here to see me?' near thought moving the miniatures of each of the people he knew at Whammy House according to his thoughts. 'but I cant tell him that I really don't want him here.' he pushed the L mini out of in front of the one of himself. 'but then, I don't want him gone.' "no, not now, not ever!" Near shouted before even thinking about someone hearing him. He posed the L and Near mini's to be hugging. 'I love him…right?… … no.' he pushed them away and pulled a little striped figure up to his face and smiled.

"and lastly there's Nate, his hair dancing in the wind as he wonders what love is, and why it has to end. And he can't understand how everyone goes on breathing when true love ends…"

"L'" Near began "L has love for Near?" he asked quietly. L stepped back in surprise that the little albino boy had spoken at all. Seeing as they were the first words to leave his lips since L had arrived. Near blinked twice, blankly staring at L, then he asked his question again " L has love for Near?"

"yes, Near, I have love for you. But why haven't you said anything to m-" L was cut off by the horrible, spontaneous, scene Mello caused. The golden haired boy bit into his chocolate, chewed very pointedly, swallowed, then attacked L. not with his hands, however, nothing violent. He used his lips. Locking L into a kiss, that neither seemed to pull away from.

"and when it all goes to hell will you be able to tell me you're sorry with a straight face?" Near walked away, he got the answer he needed.

He had never considered the possibility of being attracted to a certain red-headed, goggle wearing, stripe clad, gamer but when he looked back on it, it did make sense.

"Matt, can you help Near with something?" Near walked over to the couch that the aforementioned gamer was sitting at in the common room Playstation 3 controller in hand

"yeah, what do you need help with Near?" he said, exhaling smoke from the last puff he took of his cigarette, not once taking his goggle covered eyes off the screen displaying Nazi zombies trying to break down an arranged set of boards that were hindering their attempt of killing off his character.

"I need help with…love." The young boy started fiddling with his curls, twisting one between a thumb and index finger.

Matt shoved a hand through dark, blood red hair and put out his cigarette. "I don't know how to help you with love." he said. Removing goggles from his face. Wiping hid face between rounds. Everything may have been tinted orange, but it was prescription orange that he was nearly blind without.

"you do…when I need help on telling you that I love you." The usually pale white face turned a bright pink when Matt put his arm around the small boy.

"you're a sweetheart, you know that. I could love you too." he turned away from the screen and gave Near a kiss on the cheek, he could vaguely see the screen and just when he turned back a zombie walked trough a window and started a death parade through the shelter his character resided in. "DAMNIT! They took out my barrier!"