Matt, nine-year-old Mello decided, was going to get them both in trouble. The nine-year-old blonde chocoholic watched, his arms filled with the puzzles and toys Wedy and Near instructed him and Matt to buy, as Matt snuck into a grocery store quietly. A few short minutes later, Matt was running out, grabbing Mello's wrist as he passed the blonde boy, and dragging them both down a few blocks. When they stopped a few more blocks later, Matt was laughing, humor in his eyes. Looking towards Mello, he held out a hand full of chocolate. HIs other hand was clamped firmly behind his back.
"What's in your other hand?" Mello asked curiously. Matt hesitated, but brought it out and uncurled it, revealing about two or three cigarettes.
"One of the sailors gave them to me." He said softly. Mello rolled his eyes.
"You're gonna get us in trouble." He informed Matt, glaring at him over the toys. "You're not supposed to take stuff like that." Matt frowned lightly.
"But they took us." He pointed out softly. Mello rolled his eyes again.
"So what? We don't stoop down to their level." Matt crossed his arms, cigarettes in one hand and chocolate in the other.
"It's not as bad as what they did." Matt said quietly. Mello locked his blue eyes with Matt's green.
"It doesn't matter." He said firmly. "It's stealing. Didn't your parents ever teach you that stealing was wrong?" Matt blinked.
"Well, yea, but---"
"It's still wrong, whether they're here or not." Mello said firmly. Matt scowled.
"Look, do you want the chocolate or not?" Matt asked. Mello didn't even glance at it.
"No." He turned back in the direction of the house. "Near-sama's waiting for us." Matt shook his head as Mello headed home.
"Killjoy." He muttered, following the blonde. Mello ignored him, walking into the house as quickly as he could and handing everything to Wedy. Stomping up the stairs, leaving the red-head behind, Mello stopped in the doorway of Near's room. Near looked up at him from his white bed.
"Mello?"
"Near-sama." Mello bowed before strolling in and shutting the door. He sat by the bed, his head on his arms as they lay along the length of Near's bed. "Я не люблю Matt.(1)" He said softly. Near tilted his head in Mello's direction and gave him a small smile.
"Чего Mello хочет меня сделать?(2)" He asked softly. Mello shrugged in annoyance. The door opened and Matt smiled sheepishly at the other two in the room.
"Nate-sama." He bowed as well before walking and sitting by Near's bed as well, his back against the frame as he sighed and dropped his head into his hands.
"Я не забочу, я как раз не хочу его здесь больше. Не можете вы сказать что-то получить его отсутствующим?(3)" Mello continued his conversation with his master in Russian, ignoring the slight glare the red-head next to him sent his way. The seven-year-old boy looked at both of them, sighing lightly and leaning forward to twirl his white hair softly. Outside, conversations in English and Afrikaans could be heard as the outdoor slaves worked the plantation.
"English, please, like everyone else!" Matt snapped at Mello in annoyance. Mello rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored him.
"Я не могу сделать чего Mello спрашивает.(4)" Near replied softly, making Matt sigh lightly in annoyance. The red-head kept silent, however, knowing he couldn't say anything to Near. Mello, however, sighed and threw himself backwards, landing on the floor lightly. He placed his arms over his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"Rawr." He said, annoyance laced into his soft tone. Near felt himself smile at Mello's antics while Matt simply stared at him with wide eyes.
"Mello." Near said softly. Mello removed his arm to lock blue eyes with black.
"Yea?" He replied, ignoring Matt's sigh of relief as he answered in English.
"If Mello wants, he and Matt may play outside." Matt looked over at the pale boy before smiling.
"Thanks, Nate-sama." He said, standing up and strolling easily towards the door. Mello watched him leave, then looked up at Near.
"Are you sure, Near-sama?" He asked, standing up slowly. Near smiled at the other boy, motioning him to come over. Intrigued, Mello obeyed.
"Go play outside, Mello." Near said softly, touching Mello's blonde hair softly. Mello blinked at him.
"If you say so, Near-sama." Mello breathed lightly, straightening up and smiling before following Matt out the door. Near smiled and crawled over his bed to the window that overlooked the yard (Wedy, Aiber, and Raito had moved it at Near's request) and watched as Mello waved at the workers, some who smiled and waved back before returning to their work and others who yelled things in English and Afrikaans. Near watched as Mello ran out, waving at people and racing through the maze of the plantation, cheerfully calling out to the other people in English, Matt following behind him.
"Where are the other two?" Near tilted his head in the direction of Raito's voice, schooling his face into a blank expression.
"They are playing, Raito." He said softly. Raito shrugged.
"Lawliet-sama wants to see you, Nate-sama." Near glanced out of the window softly and then turned, slipping off of his bed and landing lightly on the floor.
"Lead the way, then, Raito." He said quietly, glancing once more out the window before following the amber eyed eleven-year-old to his brother's room.
The next day, Mello was standing by Matt and another girl, shaking his head exasperatedly as they snuck her into the house.
"Wedy's gonna kill us for this." He hissed at Matt.
"Shut up." Matt hissed back. Mello shook his head, looking around for anyone who might be coming.
"Forget Wedy, who know's what Nate-sama's guardian will do to us." He said.
"Shut up, Mello!" Matt snapped back at him. Mello stopped.
"This was your bright idea, Matt." He informed him. The girl between them whimpered lightly and Mello sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair in frustration. "Let's just hurry and get her out of here before Mikami-sama down the street notices, all right?"
"I know, Mels, I know! Do you think I'm stupid or something?" Mello glared at him.
"Yes. How many times have I told you not to call me 'Mels'? Dammit, my name is Mello!" Matt shook his head, managing to get them to the kitchen.
"Here, grab some food." He told the girl gently. Shaking lightly, she reached out, grabbing a piece of bread. A sudden CRASH! from upstairs made Mello tense, then turn and fly up the stairs quickly.
"Near-sama!" He called up, turning on the landing and racing down the hallway to Near's room. Quickly, quietly, Matt managed to get the girl out again before following Mello up the stairs.
They found Near on the floor by his bed, a mess of puzzles around him. He looked up at them.
"My puzzle fell from my bed." He said softly. Mello cracked a smile of relief.
"Let me get that for you, Near-sama." He said, bending down and picking up the pieces. Near moved to his bed again, twirling his hair in one hand and his other on his leg, which was pulled against his chest.
Matt and Mello made a silent pact to never talk about the girl they found, half-starved and badly beaten, the one they helped get food from their kitchen. The one that they found a few days later, hung from a tree. Instead, Matt bit his lip and Mello made a quick sign of the cross over her, praying quickly for her soul as they passed her quietly.
1---I don't like Matt.
2---What does Mello want me to do?
3---I don't care, I just don't want him here anymore. Can't you say something to get him away?
4---I can not do what Mello asks.
Well, I'm glad that some people enjoy my story, at any rate. Seriously, though, thank you guys for indulging me. Thanks to methegirl, Inuyasha4eva, and Chocolate Flavoured Robots for the story reviews, and special thanks to xXxGuardian SinxXx for the story alert.