Chapter 1

Near woke up to the ever-present light in his room.

His room, just like every other room in this facility, was an untainted shade of white. The white light shined by the light bulb gave a sense of fakeness to everything its light touched. There was no light switch forcing everyone into a state of constant brightness; this left a feeling of security but did nothing to help Near sleep better.

Near got off of his bed and changed out of his white pajamas into an equally white outfit similar to bleached scrubs. He took his leisurely time walking through his everyday routine- brushing his teeth, eating a nutritious breakfast, going to educational classes, showering, studying and spending his free time- for there was nothing more to do.

After finishing such mundane acts he made his way back to the library- something that has slowly made its way into his routine. He picked up another history book from the isle he now knew too well then made his way towards an empty corner desk.

He opened the book and stared at the words but did not bother reading them. He constantly tried not to think about why he kept on reading these books when he did not gain anything useful from them? Why was he bothering himself with an impossible feat? Why did he hope to find facts in a book written by someone with a god complex; history is written by the winners and Kira has definitely been winning for the last thirty years? Though, by trying not to think of such questions he was inevitably thinking more about them. Either ways he did not mind much about the question it is the answer that he always falls back to that truly bothers him. He reads books that do not hold the answers he looks for because it gives him a goal, a purpose. Near lived in a world of routine, which not only gave him a sense of security but also a sense of boredom. He needed to feed his mind for if he didn't it would feed on itself and slowly on his soul leaving him an empty shell.

"Finally, I thought you'd never get it."

Near betrayed the books in front of him in order to give his full attention to the laughing blond boy. The boy stood in front of a bunch of desks surrounded by other students.

'He seems to be tutoring them,' analyzed Near and dedicated the rest of his time to further his study of the boy.

"René first realized that there is doubt. That's very much true since you can doubt yourself, you can doubt a fact, and you can also doubt your beliefs. Knowing that doubt exists we can generalize and assert that conscious acts exist, since doubts are a kind of conscious act and so we can conclude that there exist things that present themselves as conscious acts."

The blond used so many excessive and useless motions while explaining; none of his hand gestures did anything to further his explanation. Although the boy's soft features could easily blend easily with the whiteness that took over the place, they didn't and instead he stood out like a billboard forcing people to stare at him in curiosity. The blond boy continued talking about the philosopher. As he did so, kids were entrapped in his words and were trying to force those same words into paper so that they could come back to them later. Behind the fair-haired boy stood a red-head holding a virtual portable game. The boy seemed to care less about what the blond said but simply stayed in support of him.

"The fact that we talk of the conscious act as a topic, a presentation, suggests that we are doing so in first person perspective verifying that without a first person perspective nothing can be conscious. This all concludes that since a first person perspective existing is a conscious act done by a first person perspective then the existence of the person is confirmed."

Near felt as though the blond boy was complicating René's philosophy. René simply stated that because he is able to think then he must exist, something that can be easily understood by his story. René concluded that an evil demon could make him doubt all his beliefs including his existence by making him believe false statements to be facts and so he tries to disapprove the existence of such a demon. He ignored all his former beliefs and in doing so he was certain of one belief and that is that he is thinking since to doubt that you are thinking means that you are thinking. That is how he concluded that for him to be able to think that would mean he existed. Near was certain that the boy knew of René's story since he had a vast knowledge of his philosophy.

'Then why wasn't he using it in his explanation?' Near thought.

A small smile crept onto Near's face in realization. The blond boy wanted to shorten the intellectual gap between him and the rest of the students in order to better benefit the institute. Though, that did not mean he did not wish to be intellectually superior to the students, so his purpose was to help them not lead them to their full potential and understanding.

"In summary, René concluded that since there is a mindful act being done in first person perspective, in his case 'doubt', then there must be someone creating such an act. Cogito ergo sum, I think therefore I am."

Near recognized the fiery boy as Mello. Mello excelled in his studies and was always passionate about everything- a quality that amazed Near but had also deemed as tiring. Though, with such admirable quality came his complete devotion to Kira. Mello had no doubt in Kira's ways but his actions made it seem that he believed everyone else did. Any sense of curiosity brought up by questions against Kira's ways caused Mello to swiftly switch into attack mode, attacking the curious soul with arguments and accusations that belittled the other. This quality alarmed Near into staying away from Mello.

"So basically, what René Descartes proved is that the act of thinking guarantees the existence of the self," Mello finished

'That statement is false,' Near thought to himself.

Suddenly all the children huddled around Mello turned around to stare at Near with eyes filled with surprise and fear- for him. Near was dumbfounded at why they would be scared for him; that is until his eyes fell upon the angry glare shot towards him by none other than Mello.

"What did you say?" Mello shouted not in questioning but rather with the purpose of calling Near out.

With that outburst Near realized that he had not kept his statement to himself but had voiced it out loud enough for everyone, including Mello, to hear.

'Well, there is no backing out of this now,' Near actually thought to himself this time around.

" Your statement is false; René Descartes tried to prove that the act of thinking guarantees the existence of the self but his theory was wrong and so he proved nothing"

Mello's glare got fiercer- if that is even possible- as he stomped his way towards Near. Near had to restrain himself from covering his face with his arms in protection of a punch he knew would be coming his way. Near waited for a punch that never came.

"His philosophy was not wrong, in order for someone to be able to think they must exist. I think therefore I am. What's flawed about that?"

Near was amazed at the fact that thee impulsive boy staring directly at him was keeping a level head. This was a rare occasion and Near was going to use it to initiate a safe debate with Mello.

"Thinking alone doesn't necessarily provide solid proof that someone exist. Thinking can be present under the illusion of thought. A person cannot think himself into existence."

"Thoughts are self referential and so as long as there is thought then there must be someone thinking them."

" The philosophy, 'I think, therefore I am' does not prove that thought is real, only that constructing a thought proves ones existence. If the thought one has perceived is not real then how could it possibly prove that person's existence?"

"If the mind truly believes something to be true, then to the mind itself it is. If you truly believe in the existence of god then to you at that given moment he is real"

"But if someone were to think he is a psychopath that doesn't make him a psychopath; it actually serves in proving that the person in fact is not a psychopath since psychopaths do not believe they are psychopaths."

Mello surprised Near by grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer. Mello seemed as angry as he did when Near accidently interrupted his tutoring.

"Are you calling me a psychopath?"

Near was dumbstruck at how Mello was able to come up with such a false analysis of what he said.

"I did not say that. I simply tried to prove that 'just because one thinks something to be real does not mean it is' through giving an example. Another example would be that just because you think you are the best doesn't mean you are."

That last comment was meant to imply doubt in Mello's intellect and Mello was not one to miss the hint. Mello raised the hand that was not grabbing Near's shirt with the purpose of punching the younger boy.

"Be careful Mello, Kira sentences all wrong doers to death."

Realization spread across Mello's face as he lowered Near and composed himself. Near watched as Mello left the library not sparing him another glance with his loyal red-head close behind him.

Finally feeling as though he was safe, Near let out a breath only to find that the students formerly being tutored by Mello were now staring at him. There was no longer a purpose for Near to stay at the library and so he made his exit completely forgetting about the book he picked out earlier in the process. Near left with a feeling of excitement and adrenaline, something he never felt nor believed he would ever feel.

Near walked aimlessly around the halls trying to forget about the debate he had with Mello. It wasn't that he didn't like the debate, it's because he loved it. Arguing with Mello was entertaining and mind consuming. It offered him a source out of his boredom, which is why he feared it. He would soon get addicted to debating with Mello and with something so great as his mental stability dependent on someone as unstable as Mello, he would be left vulnerable to breakage.

An annoying bell similar to that of a school bell rescued Near's attention from being drawn to far into the fierce boy. The bell would sound innocent to anyone but the students and workers in the facility knew better. The bell warned them of visitors.

Near quickly made his way through the halls trying to reach his room. Everyone, except those residing in it and Kira, believed the facility to be a simple boarding school; that way Kira's enemies would not think of attacking it. Though by hiding under the pretense of being a simple school, the school board would occasionally come and check on it to see that no rules have been broken. When that happened the students were to return to act like normal children by playing.

Near finally reached his room. His room was impersonal, just like all the other rooms; this made it easier for the room to be given to another child once the former child was 'sent away'. Kira kills children that have a rebellious streak, do not fully agree with Kira's teachings or do not act the part of normal children when people visit.

Near opened a white box that was placed in the middle of the room to make it seem fuller. He chose to play with the dominos since they were black and the most contrasting to the white theme Kira has forced them into. He started to lay one block after another with every block he placed down the visitors' voices began to fade.

The key of acting natural was not to act nor was it to play naturally, as he was supposed to do, but it is to distract yourself in your own mind. Near tried to focus on doing something he liked, which is how he looked natural while others assumed he was playing. His mind brought his thoughts back to the debate he had with Mello. There were so many things Mello could've said in order to win the argument, a fact if Mello knew would cause him to go into a fit. Mello could have simply stated what he had taught the other students during his tutoring session and that is 'that since a first person perspective existing is a conscious act done by a first person perspective then the existence of the person is confirmed.' Since Mello was irrational and in a hurry to prove his point, he had made many flawed and arguable points.

Near's train of thought was brought into an abrupt stop once he heard the badly hidden ruckus created by the students. Near would've ignored it if he hadn't heard the words 'sent away' being uttered by one of the kids. Near left his room assuming that the visitors had left since all the children were out. Near walked into a crowded hallway filled with loud whispers. Near did not want to ask who was sent away but simply stood awkwardly hoping to hear fragment of others' conversation and picking up the name of the student that was sent away.

"Near," a short girl with two blonde ponytails called out to him, "did you hear? Mello got sent away"

'Of all people to be sent away, why Mello? Mello was devoted to Kira.'

Near's mind would not let him fall into an endless hole of insensibility and so it assembled a perfect reason. Mello was devoted to greatness not Kira and if Kira were to be reduced in Mello's eyes he would find no reason to follow him.

Near needed more reasoning, more proof, to why Mello was sent away. He looked around until he spotted Mello's loyal red-head leaning on a wall while playing his video game. Near continued staring hoping he could remember a name to the boy so that he could go up to him and interrogate him on why he thought Mello was sent away. After a good couple of minutes of his brain's inability to bring forth a name to the owner of the red hair, he walked towards him finding there no reason to wait for something that won't happen.

"I'm Matt," the boy said surprising Near, "I could feel you staring at me hoping to ask me something and I guess you didn't have the audacity to do so without knowing my name."

Matt, as Near now knew what to refer to him as, had shocked twice and that has only been the second statement he ever heard him say. He had simply thought that the boy was a lost puppy following Mello but there seems to be more to the red head.

"Or did you?"

The boy said lowering his video game and staring directly at Near.

Near was about to ask Matt a question that had not completely been composed in his head when Matt simply stated, "I know you're gonna ask me about Mello. I don't really know why he got sent away; maybe he just got too ambitious and Kira got scared."

Near was more stunned by how calmly Matt was speaking rather than by how similar their conclusions to why Mello got sent away were.

"Look, Mello and I were friends-ish. We simply hanged out cause there was no one else we'd rather hang out with. He's gone now and there isn't much we can do about it."

Matt returned to his video game ending the one-sided conversation. Near was left numb as he walked back to his room.

He had finally found something of interest to him. He had found a brand new toy that he enjoyed and it had been taken away from him.

Near walked into his room with a feeling of determination, to do what exactly? He really did not know. He walked behind the white box only to find that he had built the name 'Kira' with dice while pretending to play. Near sat towards the top of the K and pushed the first dice watching it topple against the next until there were none standing.

'Kira will fall.'

A/N: This chapter was going to be longer but, as you can see, it's pretty long as it is. There wasn't much action in this chapter either but I swear the next one will be more interesting. Constructive criticism would be great or you can just tell me what you thing of the story so far.