Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.
A/N: Thank you for reading Just Enough Time! I hope you all enjoy it! For Matt, I depict him with red hair and green eyes, despite what his official hair/eye colors are. Again, thank you for reading.
Just Enough Time
Chapter Three
After several hours on a plane, the two of them landed in Vermont. A man greeted them at the airport and drove them to the house Near had bought. It was a small, nothing town; there were woods everywhere and the place did not have more than a dozen small shops. The house itself was on the outskirts of town, away from any prying eyes. The driver, an elderly man, dropped Mello off, and wished him well. (The driver was oblivious to Matt's presence, for only Mello could see him.)
The house was large, a mansion really. Mello grumbled not-so-quietly about how this whole set-up was just a way for Near to flaunt his wealth. Placing his bags in the entry hall, Mello and Matt observed the interior. The entry hall was spacious and there was a staircase that led upstairs. Matt, being curious, travelled up the stairs and explored the second floor. Meanwhile, Mello looked around the ground floor; there was a fully stocked kitchen, a living room with a television set, and another sitting room. The peculiar thing was that the other sitting room had a piano in the corner. It surprised Mello that Near would think to put something like that in the house. Shrugging it off, Mello went upstairs to find Matt.
The redhead was in one of the two bedrooms. (Why there were two bedrooms, when Near knew that only Mello would be staying there, was beyond him.) This room had windows that made up the majority of the ceiling, and when Mello walked in, the gamer was sprawled on the bed, staring at the sky. Matt vaguely noticed the blonde's presence, which only annoyed Mello. Knocking him on the head, Mello called out to Matt like a kid. "Hello? Anyone home?" Matt looked up at Mello through his orange lenses and grunted in response. Rolling his blue eyes, Mello sat down on the bed next to Matt. A comfortable silence fell upon them and Mello felt his thoughts begin to wander. Why was Matt here? He was, you know, dead after all? Weren't dead people's spirits supposed to go to Heaven or Hell, depending on the life they lived? Mello unconsciously clutched the cross around his neck. "Why are you here Matt?" The words left Mello's mouth without him realizing it; to anyone else, it would have sounded tired and irritated, but to Matt, it was just the way Mello spoke sometimes. Without looking at the other, the redhead shrugged and continued to look up at the sky. "I don't know." Mello accepted this, for he was not in the mood to have a deep philosophical discussion. Instead, he decided to satisfy his curiosity. "Hey Matt, does it hurt to die?"
It was a curious question, but Matt could hear the slight fearful undertone. Keeping his nonchalant tone, Matt spoke in his usual calm voice. "Eh, not really. I mean, it just felt like I was passing out. I got cold and numb, and then the next thing I knew, I was above my body." Mello got really quiet as the guilt of his best friend's death seemed to grow heavier and heavier. It didn't help that Matt did not seem to mind being dead! He acted as if it was no big deal…like dying for him was actually worth it.
Normally Matt would have joked that dying hurt like a bitch (or at least, having twenty bullets shot at you did), but when he glanced at Mello's face, he saw the heavy sadness on the blonde's face. Instead, he gave a less sarcastic answer, hoping to reassure Mello that his death had not pained him. However as the silence dragged on, Matt saw that his response had done the opposite. "Hey, Mel. You know I-" He was cut off by the sound of Mello's phone ringing. Looking at the caller ID, Mello made a face akin to disgust. Flipping the device open, Mello put the phone to his ear. "What is it Near?" Matt only heard the one side of the conversation so, naturally, Matt began to tap Mello's arm like a child. "What is Near saying? Mel? Mel, what's he's saying? Mel? Mel?" Mello hit the gamer's hand and glared at him, silently telling him to stop. Turning his attention back to his phone call, Mello gave quick answers. "Yeah? ... No….Yes, I'm sure….Here is fine….Okay. Bye." Hanging up the phone and slipping it back into his leather jacket pocket, Mello's blue eyes met Matt's. "That was Near…arranging your funeral." Matt shifted uncomfortably. "Oh….And?"
Mello feigned nonchalance as he stretched. "Nothing really. He asked if there was a certain place where you would want to be buried, and I said no." Matt did not deny this, so Mello continued. "I'm having you buried here." Matt sat up and stared at Mello. "Here? Like…in this town, here? Why?" Mello lightly traced the pattern that was on the bed cover as he spoke. "Yeah. I don't know…I just…I don't want you buried in England or Japan." Matt, still confused about the blonde's reasoning, urged him on. "Because…?" Mello dropped his voice to a whisper, as if saying it too loudly would hurt him somehow. "You deserve to be buried someplace where you didn't get hurt…"
Matt's eyes widened in surprise at Mello's words. "I mean, I get the whole Japan thing but what happened in England? I mean, I met you there after all." He added a small smile, but it was not returned. Instead, Mello scowled and his eyes darkened with an emotion Matt didn't recognize. Standing up and making his way to the door, Mello swung the door open. "You know very well what I mean Matt. Do you have a bitter bone in your body?" Without waiting for a response, Mello slammed the door and made his way to the other bedroom.
Once Mello's footsteps faded away, and Matt heard a door slam shut, did he let out a sigh. Of course he was bitter about England. How else do you feel when that's the place where your best friend leaves you without a word for three years? But how could Matt say that? How could he bring up something so painful for him and Mello both? Sure, Mello had never actually said he was sorry, but actions always speak louder than words. Why would he intentionally hurt the blonde? Why would he when….when he had something to do….
Meanwhile, Mello was on his bed, staring out the window. His room had two walls were made up of windows, which gave him a nice view of the forest. Well, at least, as nice as a view of a forest could be. Sighing in aggravation, Mello lied on his back. Closing his eyes and draping his arm over them, Mello let out another sigh. God, he just wanted to get out of here….or at least for Matt to just…pass on, or whatever.
Even though Matt was Mello's best friend and the fact that Mello liked having the redhead around, Mello couldn't help but feel that having Matt around only made him feel worse.
A/N: Thoughts or comments? Please review! Thank you for reading!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WAITING SO PATIENTLY! I have been busy with school and my NaNo, so I haven't had that much time to write fanfics. Thanks again to reading and I hoped you liked it!
