I was watching a special on Casino Champions the other night, and one of the featured high rollers was somebody who had almost perfect command over his dice. Naturally, the first person that I thought of was Near. Thus, this fic was born!! Please enjoy..

Ah, and this is rated T for swearing. A lot of it. There's a possibility for the rating to go up to M, depending on whats I decide to include in the next chapter..

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Anthony Lester had heard many a ridiculous request during his short term as assistant director of the SPK. His superior, Near, had asked for everything from Transformers to train sets. But this request took the cake.

"Lester" The albino boy had started off innocently enough.

"Lester, I want to go to a casino."

Lester gave the young man an incredulous look, sure he must have misheard what was said.

"Come again, Near...?"

"I said, I want to go to a casino. Soon. Before we leave America for good."

Lester tried very hard to keep a respectful tone. "Sir, if you'll pardon me for saying so, it would be a waste of time. As you are well aware, only a few casinos remain open thanks to Kira, and the closest ones are in L.A. We'd spend at least a day getting out there, and, considering our luck as of late, we wouldn't gain anything out of it."

"I disagree." Near said simply before continuing.

"I'm not going to be relying on luck. I've mastered a technique for dice manipulation, and I think I should be able to gather us quite a nice little sum. We need as much money as we can get before setting out for Japan. After all, the government has cut off our funds, and I just literally threw $10 million out the window..."

Near's eyes darkened considerably as he reflected on that fact.

Lester frowned, crossing his arms. When Near put on that face, he was set on getting his way...

Mello scowled from where he was sitting in the smoke filled room, his mood becoming worse and worse with each passing second. He had been dragged out of his apartment for this? To sulk in the corner while his red headed friend blew away most of their savings at a crappy casino?

He had considered staying at the apartment and allowing Matt to do as he pleased, but Matt always seemed to find a way to get into trouble. Plus, if he was present, Matt was less likely to spend his month's salary on some stupid ass slot machines.

Still, the other patrons were not making the experience any easier. A few of them kept giving him strange looks, and one or two of the casino floor supervisors had tried to get him to join in a game.

"No, thanks" He spat venomously at the last worker. "If you could fetch me a drink, though, that'd be just peachy"

The worker had obliged, taking Mello's credit card and returning with something that was sure to make Mello puke in the morning.

As Mello idly sipped away at his drink, he let his eyes wander over to Matt, who was cursing under his breath as the slot machine showed his latest results.

Ha, serves him right...

A sudden roar of riotous cheers caught Mello's attention, and he yanked his attention away from Matt, focusing in on the noise. A table not too far away from him seemed to be involved in some sort of dice game, and, at the center of the table, a boy with white hair and dark, excited eyes cast a pair of dice again.

No fucking way.

Near? At a casino? It was almost as bizarre as seeing himself at a tea party.

Mello stood slowly from his chair, approaching the table at a safe distance and watching in amazement as the dice fell. Near had rolled a perfect 10, and the dealer was shooting the albino dirty looks. Near pretended to be unaware of the animosity from the opposite end of the table, and instead added his winnings to his increasingly growing pile. He then cast the dice again, earning a 10 and a whoop of applause from the crowd.

Mello watched in awe as another 20 rounds passed without incident. The dealer looked ready to banish Near from the table, but apparently didn't have the authority to do so. The supervisors that were checking in on the table more frequently, however, looked ready to do more than kick Near out. Mello decided that it was time to act. There was no use being number one if Near was going to be killed.

He walked around the table casually, before standing behind Near and placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. Near turned in his seat, his eyes becoming wide with fear as he registered exactly whose face it was that he was looking into.

"Time to cash out..." Mello said in a low voice, smirking as he read the unease on Near's face.

"A-Alright..." Near replied quietly. He gathered his winnings into a bag, standing up from the table as Mello gave his shoulder an urgent squeeze.

Near apologized to a pair of girls over his shoulder as he was dragged away, their pitiful looks successfully irritating the shit out of Mello.

"Go get your money. I'll meet you in a second" Mello said, releasing Near at the exchange table. Mello then hurried back over to Matt, pulling the red head away from his machine in a similar manner.

"Come on, Matt, I don't have time to explain. You'll understand in a second."

Matt grumbled something under his breath, but stopped short when he caught sight of Near with two huge bags full of money.

"Holy shit..."

"Yes, exactly. Now lets get the fuck out of here before we get killed."

Mello grabbed Near's arm, yanking him forward as he followed after Matt, who was pulling his keys out of his pocket. Mello had time to cast a daring glance backwards, his mind racing as he saw security gathering behind them.

"Go, go, GO!" He ordered Matt, pushing the casino door's open forcefully and releasing Near as the three broke into an all out sprint in the parking lot.

"Matt, wheres your fucking car?!" Mello bellowed, eyes scanning the parking lot furiously. Near struggled to keep up, his pants making it incredibly hard for him to run.

"There!" Matt cried, pointing to his baby and making a mad dash for it. He unlocked the driver's side, waiting as patiently as he could for the other two to pile in. He gunned his car to life, throwinng it into reverse as soon as everyone else was secure.

The three heard a distinct bang as a gun was fired in Matt's directions.

"Ah!"

Matt yanked the gear into drive, pressing the gas pedal down as far down as it would go before they shot out of the parking lot.

A moment of stunned silence passed between everyone in the car before Mello finally spoke up.

"Near, what the hell were you doing in there? And where were your bodyguards?"

"I was...trying to earn some money using the dice casting skill I learned...and, I left Lester back at the hotel"

"Well, you definitely earned some money, all right, and almost died in the process." Mello scoffed. "Do you have a cell phone with you?"

Near nodded, retrieving the device from his pocket. Mello snatched it out of Near's grip, chucking it out the window.

"Why-?"

"Because. I don't want you being tracked, and I'm not returning you tonight."

Near bit his lip, afraid to say anything. For all he knew, Mello was planning on taking the money and doing away with him.

"You owe me for what I just did, and I expect some payment"

Alright, its midnight, and my creative juices have officially run out at the moment. Please review, and I'll update as soon as I can =]