Here's chapter two. It gets off to a slow start, but I think it improves as it goes. xp I've been working on cosplay lately, and videos, so I haven't been writing as much. (search my username and "Death Note" on youtube and you will see what I've been up to.) Bible passages are from the King James Version. Again, I stress that I do not intend to poke fun at anyone's religion. This is meant as good clean humor.

B allowed Kent to work as a game leader. "He just doesn't want to do any of the actual work himself," Kent reported to L the night before B's grand opening. "He had just a few rough ideas sketched out for games. I had to figure out how they could work on my own. And I had to make adjustments for different age groups. It's like he's already forgotten that little kids think differently from older kids."

L shook his head. "I don't think he's forgotten. I think he wants to keep you well occupied because he suspects that you're spying for me. And he knows you'll do the work because you're kindhearted."

Kent's expression froze, as if he didn't want to change it for fear of confirming that he had been duped.

"Don't worry," L consoled him. "You will still be useful to me. At game time you can pick up information from the younger kids and pass it on to me. That way, Near and Mello won't have to speak to me directly, which would arouse B's suspicions."

"I hung around the church a bit today," Hoshi announced. "I played a little hard-to-get with B. "I think he's going for it."

L nodded, admiring Hoshi's pretty looks. "Good. Now remember: our goal is to make sure he is not harming any children, and that he isn't taking anyone's money under false pretenses. If he isn't doing those things then we have no grounds to sabotage him."

"What if he's teaching them a bunch of crap?" asked Mello, who had tagged after the older students uninvited. "Does that count as harming them?"

"That depends," L said. "We'll figure that out as we go."

Cho listened from a corner, watching L. She watched L watch Hoshi. For some weeks she had had a suspicion that L was sweet on Hoshi. She knew no one would believe her if she told them—the accepted legend of L stated that the detective had no interest in close personal relationships of any kind, and that he wouldn't know how to flirt if he wanted to. But Cho knew that at the core of every stupid guy—and probably at the core of the few who weren't stupid, too—was a desire to watch pretty girls. If entertained, the desire developed into a want to do more than watch. She was sure L had it in him; she just hoped Hoshi wouldn't realize it.

Hoshi had had a crush on L years back. It was not-quite-forgotten common knowledge among the older students. Even L knew of it, but he never seemed embarrassed by it, which was probably why the rumors had nearly died. What was the fun of talking about it if teasing had no effect? Hoshi had confided in Cho and eventually told her that she was going to try to get over her crush because L would never be interested in anyone, including her. Now Cho wondered whether or not she was really over it.

Cho also knew that BB had begun mimicking L a lot more lately. She wondered if B had started chasing Hoshi because he knew Hoshi had liked L. It wouldn't surprise her, she decided.

"Cho?"

Cho blinked and looked up at Kent. "Sorry, what?"

"He said your karate is the best in the school," Hoshi related. "I think you should say thank you."

Cho smiled. "Well, thanks, Kent. I'm not sure you're right, but it's nice of you to say. If it comes down to pounding those guys, I'm up for it. But it will look bad if we have to fight at a church."

"Let's do our best to keep physical tactics as a last resort, and especially to not use them in front of the children," L agreed.

The others nodded.

"Well, I'm off to bed," Hoshi declared. "If I don't get enough sleep, I'll start looking like a panda. Um… no offense."

L blinked and looked around as Hoshi left. "Is anyone here a panda?" he asked.

Cho burst out laughing. "No, but someone here doesn't get much sleep," she said when she had enough breath.

"I don't like sleeping," L said. "You don't get anything done when you're asleep."

"Sometimes it feels good to do nothing," said Kent. "Anyway, Mello, if you don't get to your room within about two minutes, you're going to be late for curfew. Scram."

The meeting dispersed and L went to brush his teeth. BB wasn't there this time—neither was anyone else. It wasn't unusually late, and L found the empty bathroom a little strange. The sounds of his brushing his teeth seemed to echo loudly off the walls.

He went back to his room and crouched on his bed with the light off. He knew he was supposed to sleep, but there was so much to think about. He chewed his thumbnail and pondered the notion that Beyond Birthday was opening a Bible school the next day. Ridiculous. But there was no time left for incredulity. He had to be ready for whatever they learned tomorrow.

Near got to the church fifteen minutes early to find Matt and Mello sitting back to back in front of the sign-in table in the church parking lot. Matt was playing his gameboy as usual. Mello looked half asleep. Near supposed they had been there for some time. He went to kneel beside them on the pavement.

"Why did you come so early?" Near asked.

"We wanna make sure we're at the top of the list for everything," Mello said.

"Why?"

"I dunno. It was Matt's idea."

"We've been watching them set stuff up," Matt said, not looking up from his game.

Near doubted Matt had been watching anything other than his Mario avatar, but he didn't say so.

"We have the inside edge," Matt added.

"All I've got is a sore butt from the pavement and a headache because I didn't get enough sleep," Mello complained.

Near looked at the new banner which Taro and Saburo were putting up over the church's front door. It said "BBBS Now Open!" Bright red smileys surrounded the time listings. Absentmindedly stroking the small stuffed lion which his classmate Jun had given him, Near momentarily entertained the idea that B was a vampire and that he was using the VBS to lure in fresh young blood. Everything would make sense under that theory… He wished Mello would quit griping.

"It's getting hot out here. My chocolate's all melted. I'm hungry. I want some water. Isn't it time to open yet?"

Other children had begun to line up behind Near. A few had their parents with them. He watched the families closely, deciding it was a good opportunity to observe the way much of the populace related to each other. Families were not a well-understood topic for the Wammy House children.

Sabu came to sit in a chair behind the fold-out table. "OK, you two. I'll get your name tags ready."

"Hang on," Matt said, pausing his game. He helped Mello stand (Mello uttered cries of pain from staying in one position so long), leaned over the table and said quietly, "They're gonna divide us up somehow, right? For teams?"

Sabu sighed. "You can't tell anyone else this, all right?"

Matt nodded.

"It's every other person."

"Gah! Near, thank God you're here," Matt exclaimed. He grabbed Near and pulled him forward. "Quick, get between me and Mello!"

Near retrieved his lion off the ground, straightened his white button-down shirt and obediently occupied the narrow space between Matt and Mello.

Mello also looked grateful for Near's presence. "That's one way to get him more than two inches away from me," he muttered darkly.

Near twisted a lock of hair with his free hand.

"Name?" Sabu said to Mello.

"You know my name—it's Mello," said Mello.

Near saw a few children behind them peering around each other, trying to get a look at Mello.

"Here's your name tag," Sabu said, sticking a label on Mello's chest. "Go inside and sit on the left side of the sanctuary."

Mello walked confidently toward the church steps.

"Name?" Sabu asked Near.

"Near," Near replied, straightening up. "And this is Archimedes."

Sabu did a double take. "Oh… uh, your lion doesn't need a name tag."

"He just can't spell Archimedes," Matt muttered from behind Near, caught up with his gameboy again.

"They got funny names," someone whispered too loudly behind them.

Sabu put a label on Near. "Go on in and sit on the right side of the sanctuary."

Near walked away slowly.

"Tell Mello I'm comin'!" Matt called after him.

"Why, so he can hide?" Near said under his breath. He wondered why Matt had decided that Mello had to be his best friend. He also wondered why Mello didn't like it.

"Name?"

"Matt!"

"Yeah… here you go…"

Near looked around the church sanctuary. Mello was sitting on the left as he'd been instructed. The room had been decorated more macabre than Near had expected. Most VBS themes were things like "winter wonderland" or "wild, wild west." BB seemed to have chosen "the other side of the graveyard" or some such thing.

A moment later, Matt rushed past Near to enter the row Mello was sitting on.

"Don't sit by me," Mello snapped.

Matt stopped in his tracks. He hemmed and hawed a moment. He looked to Near for help, but Near just shrugged. "Uh… how come?" he said.

"I'm tired of you following me and doing everything I do," Mello explained.

Mario died in Matt's hand. He had forgotten to pause his game. Silently, Matt turned around and slipped into the pew behind Mello.

Near sat in the row across from Matt. Soon more children came in, name tags in place.

"Boy, you guys had a great idea," a boy about Near's age told him. "I told that guy my name was Boombox and he believed me. My friend Jeff is gonna see if they'll put 'Skateboard' on his name tag."

Near blinked.

About fifteen minutes later, Ren appeared on the platform at the front of the young audience. Her face was painted pale and she had dark circles around her eyes. "Good morning," she said brightly. "Sorry it took so long to get started, but tomorrow it will go faster because we'll have your name tags waiting for you. How many of you brought a Bible with you today?"

Several children held Bibles up in the air. Near pulled a pocket New Testament from his breast pocket and held it up. Mello produced a ragged looking black leather Bible. He'd probably had it as long as he could remember, but he rarely read it.

"Very good," Ren congratulated them. "Be sure you bring your Bible with you every day, because you will earn…" she pulled a wad of fake money from the front of her dress. "…fun bucks for the store, and points for your team! And be sure you remember which side of the church you're sitting on, because the kids sitting around you are your teammates. OK? Great! This summer our theme is life and death. Does anyone know a Bible verse about life and death?"

Most of the children who had brought Bibles raised their hands. Ren pointed to one near the front. "Yes?"

"John three-sixteen," the child recited. Most of the raised hands went down. Apparently John 3:16 was the best-known verse in their circles. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."

"Very good! That's ten points for team A."

"What's 'perish' mean?" Boombox hissed.

"Die," Near answered quietly.

"Oh."

"Anyone else?" Ren called, sounding enthusiastic, though Near thought she looked like she wasn't enjoying herself at all.

Near raised his hand.

Ren searched the audience for a while before she decided she couldn't ignore Near's hand any longer. "Yes?"

"John eleven-twenty-five: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

"Very—" Ren started to say, but Near wasn't done.

"First Corinthians fifteen-twenty-two: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

"Good one," Ren said, trying desperately to retake the floor. But Near was in filibuster mode.

"First Thessalonians four-sixteen: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first."

"OK, OK, that's enough," Ren exclaimed. "Let's give some other kids a chance."

But the other kids were so disgusted with Near's ability to rattle off verses that they couldn't think of any more.

"All right, then," Ren said, trying to regain some composure, "I'd like to tell you about the contest we'll have going all of the two weeks of our BBBS. We are trying to raise some money for an orphanage. It's a sort of school where orphans go. Whichever team raises more money by the end of the two weeks will get one thousand bonus points for their team. And whichever team wins the contest, each team member will get a special prize!"

The children oohed, ahhed and whispered appreciatively.

"Now, let's split up into our groups for activities. Everyone seven and eight years old, go with Mr. Sabu for a snack. Nine-year-olds, you'll be out back with Mr. Backup for a lesson. Ten-year-olds, you're outside with Mr. Kent for games. Eleven and twelve, you stay here with me for a story. Have fun!"

Near was glad their curiosity about BB's Bible lessons was going to be satisfied first. He was also glad he had just turned nine—otherwise he'd be stuck with the youngest group.

"How'd you remember so many verses," Boombox asked Near.

"Promise not to tell?" Near asked quietly.

Boombox crossed his heart.

"I have a photographic memory."

"What's that mean?"

"It means if I read something once, I'll remember it perfectly for a long time—maybe forever."

"Wow! That would sure be nice in school."

"No talking!" B exclaimed as they entered the Sunday school classroom. Then he smiled at the children. "Take your seats, please."

Near looked around. Mello had sat off to one side. Matt was in a back corner. Near wasn't sure, but he thought Matt looked like he might have been crying. He faced front again. This was going to be interesting.

Oh, cliff-hanger! xD Frankly, I don't know where this story will end up, but I'm enjoying the ride so far. Hope you are, too.

By the way, I'd like to mention that I'm not a yaoi fan, so if you're hoping for Matt and Mello to develop a romance, don't hold your breath. As for the pentagon (Ren-B-Hoshi-L-Cho), I am planning to do more with that; just not sure how much will come out in this story.