A/N: Last chapter for the day!

Enjoy, review if you can, and don't forget to hug a turkey!

I didn't exactly start running home until I got the text from my mother. It had been months since I'd seen him last and I was stoked to see him again.

I burst through the door to my home, ditching my bag near the stairs and ran to the kitchen to find my brother Jason standing next to the screen door. Once he saw me coming, he immediately opened his arms and hugged me with all his might.

I'd missed Jay since I saw him last. He was always happy to see me, always welcomed me with a hug, and always spent time with me whenever he was in town. Thanks to University though, he hadn't been around much and was usually studying if we were in the area. But even if it was for an hour, or even a small moment with him, I was happy.

I was always happy around Jay.

Jason was the brother of all brothers. He was kind, soft hearted, and loved us to pieces. Yes, he was what you'd call a 'big dumb jock' at first glance, but he wasn't like the ones at my school. He played soccer, yes, but he never forgot about his family. He taught me to play soccer, and how to ride my bike, and he always went shopping with my sisters Sera and Caitlyn when they asked, even going as far as helping them pick out clothing. He used to be made fun of for this – it seemed the word 'faggot' ran into him a few times as well – but he merely brushed them off. He was a lot like me in the sense where he didn't care about what they said about him. If we needed him, we needed him. And he was always happy to be there for us.

Jason gave another squeeze to the hug before throwing me up onto his shoulder to sit there like old times. Since I was scraggly and… well… not very buff, it was easy for him to carry me around like a rag doll.

"So how's my favourite brother doing!?" He asked happily.

I beamed at him. "Just got the record high score in Ninja Gaiden last week! I've been known all over the place as 'the Kid who can Beat any Game at Any Time'! Plus my grades are through the roof!"

"Yet he refuses to leave high school and attend university." Our mother mentioned heatedly. "Honestly, you've been given more scholarship offerings than anyone in the history of our family, and you choose to stay in that god-forbidden school where all the other kids do is kick your ass! Why do you insist on being so stubborn!?"

"Aw, lighten up, Ma!" Jay defended a he set me down. "Mail's probably just coasting along so he can get the full experience. A little ass-whooping never hurt for ego. Imagine a top programmer as a son who can successfully wave his mountains of cash in those bullies faces! Imagine the priceless looks he'll get when all the girls fall to his feet screaming 'Take me now, Mail!'" He mimicked the girly voices. "And then he'll put you, dad, and grandpa all up in a big mansion where you can laugh at the lower class!"

Our mother merely sighed. "I'll take my humble home over a giant mansion, thank you. There's less of it to clean that way."

"I'd get you a maid, mama!" I reassured her.

She scoffed at this. "I'd rather be kept busy than sit around and be useless."

Our dad kissed her cheek lovingly. "What a perfect wife I have!"

"You mean, 'what a lucky man I am to have a woman who actually wants to keep moving'. You know as well as I do that I'm a one in a million."

"Yes, darling." He said mechanically, knowing it was the best way to avoid a lecture. "But I only hope that our boys find the same type of woman for their life in the future."

I cleared my throat, awaiting the addendum.

My father chuckled. "Or man, depending on who hits your heart first."

I bowed jokingly. "Thank you!"

It was no secret in my family that I played for both teams. It had been difficult to explain it to them, but everything turned out alright.

I believe how I told them was, 'You know how some people like cake, and some people like donuts? Well… I like both.' And nothing more was said on the topic.

It was more than true though. I mean, cake was nice and all, and I'd totally like a piece if offered. But then you see a donut somewhere and you just have to have it! Too bad there wasn't a lot of… donuts at my school though.

There were a lot of pretty girls at school, but the guys were all the same. It was like watching reruns of the same show over and over again.

You had your dumb jocks, your moody teens, the Goths, the nerds, the dorks, the comic book geeks, the band kids, and lastly the out-casted kids with no real group to belong to. The outcasts, however, were just me and Near. Two people without a group and no real belonging.

But we were definitely more interesting than the other groups. Our conversations changed, our looks changed, and our way of thinking changed. With the others, nothing changed. And it was boring watching something that never changed, so I never felt anything towards the guys at my school. Since females always seemed to be changing with each year, however, I easily gravitated to them with ease.

My dad gave me a pat on the back. "Whoever you choose is alright in my books, but I hope you realize I'll always be keeping a close watch on you. I don't want you to get hurt."

I shrugged. "Meh, I get shot down constantly at school. I'm semi-immune to the hurt now. It would take a lot for me to get crushed at this point."

My dad hugged me closely then. "I know, but I still ned you to know that you can trust me if ever you need someone to speak to."

I couldn't help but seize the opportunity.

"Then, daddy? Where do babies come from?" I spoke in an innocent voice.

I was immediately pushed away, but the man still smiled warmly. "Must everything be a joke to you?"

"It makes the tension in the room mellow out a bit." I explained proudly.

My brother jumped at this. "Oh! That's right! I forgot to tell you guys! You remember Chase Keehl right? The guy I share a room with in University?"

"The guy who hit on both me and Caitlyn last time we visited you?" Sera asked coldly. "Yeah, we remember him."

Chase Keehl? That name did sound familiar. But I hadn't seen him yet. Anytime I visited Jay it was with my parents, and his roommate was always in class. But that name… it sounded so familiar it was unnerving.

I shook my head. "I don't remember him? The name sounds familiar but-"

Jay lightly tapped my arm. "Come on, Mail! You remember him don't you!? Chase Keehl, older brother of that little blonde kid you used to be friends with! Michael… Mikey… something like that. His nickname was Mello though."

I jolted at the name slightly. "Mello? Wait… Mihael? Mihael Keehl?"

"That's the name! Anyway, since we graduated and everything, and now that our room has been cleaned out, Chase and his little brother are moving back into the old homestead next door with their parents!"

"You're kidding!" My mother said excitedly. "We haven't seen them in years! This will be so amazing!"

"Indeed!" My father added, then looked at me. "The last time we heard from them was from one of Mello's letters he sent to you. It'll be like old times again!"

I blinked a bit at the fuzzy memories. Old times? When was this? I could barely remember anyone from back then. Not since I started school after…

…after Mello left.

The memories came flooding back again and I felt a strange sensation in my chest. Like someone was sitting on me and I couldn't breathe properly. It was… incredible though. This feeling. It could only be excitement, I suppose, but it had been forever since I'd seen Mello last. And we'd been such good friends at the time! He'd defended me, I'd wiped his tears, and we played together, and… and so much more. Hell, we'd been inseparable until he had to move away! And we were always there for each other, and always had each other's backs! And then the chain…

…the chain…

…THE CHAIN!

I ran off from the gathering of my family to hurry up the stairs and into my room to search through my closet. I know I hadn't gotten rid of it, so it had to be there somewhere!

And, like I'd predicted, I found it in an old box where I kept my most cherished possessions. The chain with the two 'M's was there, buried underneath my first Gameboy, the first game I'd ever played to completion, a few old photos of me and my brother, and a stuffed animal I'd used to help me go to sleep at night when I was young.

I pulled the chain out to dust it off a bit, and found beneath it an old line of photos from a photo booth I'd taken with a familiar blonde as a child.

I couldn't believe how dorky I looked making faces with this even dorkier blonde at my side. Had I honestly thought my hair looked good cut like that? And those goggles! Jesus were they huge on me! I'd grown into them over time – having no real choice since my eyes were bad in sunlight – but I couldn't believe that I ever thought those looked good on me! Did they even look good now?!

A quick glance into the mirror and I agreed that they looked better now than they did back then. But it was no surprise that I was being picked on. I'd done it to myself quite honestly!

I looked at the blonde in the photo and felt that strange feeling in my chest again. Only this time, it was partial worry. Had Mello changed since then? I knew that I liked change, but not as drastic as it might be when I saw him next. And even more… would he still like me? Would he still consider me his friend after so many years? The guy had to be seventeen or eighteen now, and he had definitely forgotten about me since last we wrote to each other. I remember the last letter he wrote to me was about his parents moving him into a new program for school and then… poof. Nothing.

It was like he'd disappeared from my life…

…and me from his.

But… would he remember me when we met again? Would he remember all the same things that I had? The good times, the photos… the friendship we shared?

Or would he not even care?

I just didn't know.

I heard a knock at my door and turned to see Jason looking at me thoughtfully. I guess I'd been staring at this photo for far too long to be considered a normal amount of time.

But how else was I supposed to act after remembering all these things that I'd forgotten over the years? Excited? Well… maybe I was. But I was mostly scared.

Jay entered my room and sat beside me on the floor. "I know it's been a while since you saw him last. But I promise that things will be alright. I met Mello before grad and he remembered me in an instant. He even asked about you."

"Really?" I asked, a bit too excitedly.

Jay just chuckled at that. "Yeah, and I told him all I could about you. He's pretty impressed with the world records you hold, but he has a few of his own you know."

"Really… like what?" I asked nervously.

Jay ruffled my hair. "You can ask him yourself on Monday next week. His family's moving back in that day, and I think he'll be in school with you after everything's been unpacked from the trucks. I… may have said something about your drama class, and he's keen on getting into the same class so he can see you again."

My heart raced at this. Mello wanted to actually see me? ME!? Did that mean he hadn't forgotten about me? Or that he'd just remembered me as well and was anxious to see me again? All these questions… it was just… bah! I needed to know!

"They'll be here pretty early though, so you might miss an opportunity to speak with him before you go to school. I'd say just let them unwind and relax and then go to see him if he isn't in school."

"But what does he look like?!" I asked him in a rush. "I haven't seen him since we were seven, remember!"

He hummed. "Believe me, you'll know who he is when you see him. Good friend like you two don't forget each other easily."

With that, he stood up from the floor and walked out. I swear I could see a smirk on that face of his though.

This just left me with even more questions and I was reduced to a confused mess on the floor about what to do when I supposedly saw this old friend of mine. Would I recognize him that easily?

Even more… would he recognize me?

(Mello P.O.V)

Would he even recognize me?

My thoughts whirled in my head about this old friend that I'd had a long time ago. A friend I hadn't even remembered until meeting up with Jason at his and my brother's grad ceremony. We'd been close to the school and it had been easy for us to attend, but Jason didn't want to put his family in a spot like that and told them not to attend. He said something about them making it up to him when he opened up his own shop and them being there on that day.

But Jason… I'd only remembered him because of Matt. The red head talked about his brother so often it was like I'd known him for years. Even the last letters he sent to me were about his brother, however scratchy they might have been.

But I remembered Matt all too well. Those bright green eyes like freshly cut grass, his smile that could light up anyone's day, and those big goofy goggles that made him look almost alien to the world. It was hard to forget a friend like Matt.

Especially after all he'd done for me.

I stared at the photo booth strip in my hand and smiled. I'd found it while packing up my room and I hadn't let go of it since. I couldn't believe how stupid my hair looked back then, but I suppose I was only seven years old at the time. My hair was much cleaner and better cut nowadays. Back then my mother was the one to cut my hair before bringing me to her hair dresser. Maybe it didn't look manly for a boy to be getting his hair cut at a salon, but dammit if the ladies didn't know what they were doing! And, let's face it, my hair had to be cut by a professional who could deal with long hair. And I sorely stopped caring what people thought about me anymore aside from the girl thing.

I was thin, I was clean and well cut, and I always worked to keep my body in top physical condition. The only thing I cheated on was with my chocolate. Yes, all this made me look like a female…

…but there were upsides to this.

Like, for instance, getting gullible and horny boys to buy me all the chocolate I needed for the week solely on the thought that I might give them what they desire. It never happened… most times… but that didn't stop them from continuing to try.

I was smarter than the lot of them anyway, so they didn't hold much interest to me. I'd already graduated from University in the literary division, and all my extra-curricular activities were mainly for physical fitness. So, my days in school were very limited.

I made the decision when my parents said we were going back to our old home that I would attend high school with Matt so I could spend more time with him. It would be eleventh grade to twelfth grade anyway, so I could handle the pressure. This was nothing compared to University anyway. Just another time waster if you asked me.

"Mihael," my father brought me out of my reverie at his knock to my door, "I was wondering… are you so sure you want to attend high school? You can back out if you want to, and I wouldn't blame you if you did. Lord knows Mail was having a tough time… or so Jason explained."

Indeed. And that only angered me at the thought of people picking on Matt for no good reason…

…and depressed because I'd left him to that fate.

I hummed, giving a small smirk as I packed away the photo sheet in my bag. "And miss out on all the pretty boys I can use to my advantage? No way."

I sat down on my bag and zipped the lid closed, hearing my dad chuckle slightly. "I wish you'd stop doing that. Using males like that is just as bad as using females. They have feelings, thoughts, and emotions like everyone else."

"And they should know that if you cross me, I have ways of making them suffer!" I said cheerfully. "Most of the time, having them do my bidding since I am so… tantalizing."

He scoffed. "You are like your mother."

I merely smiled as I finished zipping up my bag.

It was no secret to my family that I play for the other team. And why wouldn't I? Females were… well… weak and held no real secrets to me. They were cold hearted, easily entertained, and could turn on you in an instant if angered enough. Not to mention most of them were weak and had no control. I didn't need weak. I needed strong.

I loved the thought of being held by a man, of being close to them and smelling a good cologne encompass them. More times than not during my years at university I'd seek companionship with the older guys since they were stronger and more likely to give me what I wanted.

My parents were well aware I liked men… but not about the other stuff. But that was a topic I kept to only myself. For a very good reason.

Besides… I'm too sure of the thoughts they'd have of me were they to find out.

…and I didn't need that in my life.

My father sighed. "Well then, if you're finally packed, let's get on the road. We'll talk more on the way about this high school you're so keen on going to."

I hummed happily. "Nothing to discuss. I'm going, and that's final."

He sighed yet again. "Yup, you're exactly like your mother."

That thought was not exactly a bad one. After all, my mother ended up with a caring and respectful business man who loved his family to pieces. With my luck and looks, I'd probably end up with the same.

If my father wasn't so over-protective.

Ever since I told him I liked guys over girls he's treated me like I was his only child and unworthy of half the guys I dated. The other half were sons of the people he worked with that I found boring or offensive.

But I'm sure I could find a guy we both agreed with. Someone who wasn't a jerk, didn't treat me with disrespect, was thoughtful of me, and all around kind. It may take some time… but I'd find that special guy for me. One that my father even liked.

But for now, all I worried about was meeting with Matt again. I still had no idea what he looked like, thanks to Jason for not telling me, but I'm too sure he'd be recognizable when I saw him next.

Which, hopefully, would be on Monday.

…hopefully…