(I still don't own the characters or anime.)

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Chapter 4

Monday.

A school day.

Near's first school day, at least that's what today was to me. To most of the other kids at Wammy's, today was just another Monday, with more school and more homework. But for Near and I it was something else, something more. Today signified the first actual day for Near. Today it would be decided which classes he should take, depending on how smart he is.

I figured he was smart, but when he walked through my classroom door, I was stunned. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw Near give my teacher a note and take a seat.

Of course his seat was next to me.

"What the hell are you doing in here?!" I whispered angrily.

He looked up at me like I was slow and missing something obvious. I raised an eyebrow to insist that he answer my question.

"I am here to learn, isn't that what classrooms are for?" was his reply.

"Well, duh. But I mean, why are you in my classroom? This is the class for the smartest people."

"Oh, well I guess I'm one of the smartest people then," Near said with a modest grin. I just gaped.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Near was in all of my classes, which were the most advanced classes that a person could take. There was a test in our history class, and when the teacher told Near he didn't have to take it, Near said he'd take it anyway. I warned him how difficult the tests were, but he had just shrugged and said he'd take his chances. We got our tests back at the end of the period, and I got a 100%, but I missed the extra credit.

"Ha, beat that!" I challenged as I showed Near my returned test.

"Okay," he replied totally unphased by my impossible challenge. Or what I thought was an impossible challenge. I was wrong though, because Near showed me his test and at the top in the score box was 101%. My eyes grew wide and I suddenly felt nauseous. How could he, a little ten-year-old, have beaten me? No one has ever beaten me before. How did he do it?

"Are you okay? You look a little sick."

I blinked, nodded, and raced to my next class: Mathematics. I, of course, was in the most advanced math class, Honors Geometry. I hoped, no, I prayed that Near wouldn't be in this class, too. My prayer was in vain, and he took a seat next to me as usual.

There was a test in this class today, too. Once again Near insisted that he could take the test, but this time I didn't warn him against it. On the contrary, I needed him to take this test. I had to know if the History test had been a fluke, or if he really could beat me.

At the end of the period when we got our tests back Near and I both had 100%. I decided that he was smart, very smart, but the other test must have been a fluke. Still, it bugged me that he could even tie with me.

The rest of the week passed. Near remained in all my classes, and the teachers all seemed to love him. Throughout the week there were two more tests and many more pop quizzes, all of which Near was able to tie or beat me on. I didn't understand it, and I refused to believe it.

It was Friday night, Matt and I were hanging out in the game room. Matt was playing some game, I wasn't paying attention. I was in awe of the mysterious abilities that Near had stashed away. I had my chin cradled in my hands glumly. I hadn't yet told Matt about Near's incredible smarts and how he'd beaten me.

Matt wasn't in any classes with me, except lunch, but only because he never tried in school. Even without trying, he was in the second smartest classes for everything. If he tried he could easily manage to get into all of my classes, though he'll always be second to me. Being second doesn't bother him though. It bothers me, a lot.

My silence was sending off waves of depression, and Matt could feel it.

"All right, spill. What's up with you lately? You haven't been yourself."

"Ugh, Matt. It's nothing," I lied.

"Is not! Now fucking tell me, dude!"

"Fine," and I dove off into everything that happened during the week. I told him how Near was beating me. Had I been telling this story to anyone else, I probably would have hidden my true sadness and just thrown some stuff around and cussed in anger. But it's not like that with Matt. I can show him how I really feel, and by the time I finished my story, tears with strolling down my cheeks. I didn't care. I let them fall, though I knew I probably looked like a real mess.

Matt paused his game, and moved his goggles from his face to around his neck. He looked at me with concern and sympathy. I was grateful for it. He turned toward me on the couch and embraced me in a comforting hug. At first I was a little put off, but then I hugged him back, allowing my tears to evolve into sobs. I let it all out. We sat there perched on the couch like that for a long time.

Finally I blubbered, "He's gonna succeed L instead of me!"

Matt released me from his hug, but kept a grip on my shoulders, "No, he's not. You're number one and you always will be."

I shook my head mournfully. I was mourning my dreams, my plan, both of which had died.

"Matt, I had our whole life planned out," I'd stopped crying and I was telling him this like a normal person again, "I was going to succeed L, and you were going to come with me. I was going to be the greatest detective and you'd be there, too. But now…"

Matt looked at me affectionately, and said with strong emotion, "I didn't know you'd thought that far ahead. I had no idea you thought of me so strongly."

I looked at my friend in shock. How had he not known? Besides, his comment was a little random. I mean, weren't we supposed to be talking about Near? For both reasons my shock turned to a glare.

"What do you mean you didn't know? Are you retarded? Do you not want to come with me?"

"No, dude, I do. I really do."

I exhaled loudly, angrily, then said, "Well, I don't think it'll end up happening now anyway. Near's going to succeed L. Not me. Not you. It's time to come up with a new life plan, Matty." My voice broke and a few more tears broke loose, but I stopped them before I could start crying uncontrollably again.

Matt grabbed me around the waist and pulled me closer to him. He scooted over to the end of the couch and lay my head on his lap, so I was lying on the couch. I looked up at him questioningly, but he just put his goggles back in front of his eyes and and unpaused his game. Regardless, I curled up there on the couch and nestled my head into his lap, resting my hand on his leg. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my head, and it totally freaked me out. I realized then that it was just Matt, comfortingly stroking my hair. I relaxed again, grateful to the redhead for being here, and amazed that he could play his game with only one hand. I closed my eyes and tried my hardest to wipe my mind of all upsetting thoughts, and it almost worked.

"Maybe I could beat Near."

My eyes snapped open. "What are you talking about, Matt? Get serious. You can't even beat me, so you won't be able to beat him."

Matt shrugged. "You never know. It could happen. Besides, maybe if I at least get switched up into your guys' class, then I could monitor the situation better."

That wasn't a bad idea. Actually, it was a pretty good idea. Why hadn't I thought of it?

"Okay, dude. Do what you want."

He nodded and returned to playing his game. I sat up, tired of lying down, and rested my head on Matt's shoulder; I wasn't quite ready to sit up all the way yet. Matt stole a sideways glance at me, but said nothing. He seemed to know that there was really nothing more he could say, nothing more he could do, to comfort me, so instead he let me be. It was probably a smart move on his part, for I didn't know how I might react to some unnecessary comment. I just wasn't in the right state of mind for that sort of thing right now. It's always made me happy that Matt seems to understand when those times are and to respect my silence when they come around.

"Aww, fuck!"

I slowly raised my head a couple of inches, asking, "Did you die again?"

"Ugh, yes! This game is so frickin' cheap! The fucking zombies have these nuclear ray beams that kill you in one hit, while you're stuck with a fucking shitty dagger! And if that wasn't enough, they also have tracking sensors that let them know where you are at all times. Do I get to know where they are? No, of course fucking not. I mean, honestly. How do they expect you to beat it when it's that fucking unfair?!"

I didn't understand a word of the explanation my friend gave me, but I nodded anyway.

"Do you want to go back to our room?" I asked thinking he'd probably gotten tired of dying, and I was getting pretty exhausted anyway.

My redheaded friend sighed but nodded, and we made our way out of the game room, down the hall, and back into our room. I led the way in, but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw our room. Or what was our room.

The entire place was filled with a gigantic Lego structure. It covered every inch of floor space between the three beds, starting just a few inches past the door. Not only was it huge in area, but the thing was tall, too. I could barely see over it at my five feet, six inches.

Matt bumped into me, not knowing why I'd stopped, but then he saw the Lego masterpiece. I took another step into the room, looking eagerly for a way to maneuver to my bed. I groaned in anger and slid through the narrow pathway. Had I been any fatter, I wouldn't have fit. Luckily (for Near), both Matt and I were very skinny, so neither of us had too much of a problem.

"Near?" I called out into the vast pit of Lego's.

A small white head popped out of the far corner. "Yes?"

Matt gasped. He'd never heard the boy speak before, so his perfect ringing voice must have startled him.

I had to fight to control my anger. Near seemed to have no idea what a problem his stupid toy castle was going to cause. Either that or he didn't care.

"Near, why the hell are there Lego's covering my room?" I asked, voice shaking the littlest bit from my supposedly controlled anger.

Near looked all around him at his work, taking it in and weighing the problems it caused. He didn't seem to find any. "What problems?"

I glared. I said nothing, absolutely nothing, but I spoke wonders with my ice blue eyes. He met my enraged stare, but his face remained wrapped in some sort of invisible mask, not showing how he really felt. His face was blank, but at least his eyes weren't dead. Yet.

"Uh, Near?" Matt chipped in.

Near broke away from my glare to address Matt, "Yes?"

"Um, don't you think your Lego's take up kinda a lotta space?"

Near looked around him again. "Yes, they do. But do not worry, Matt. I calculated it perfectly so that you two would be able to get around the room to your desks and dressers and things. So, really, there is no need to worry."

I narrowed my eyes more. Calculated perfectly, huh? How could he be so sure?

"Oh, really? And how are you so sure that it's calculated so perfectly?" I asked coldly.

"I am sure because I measured it out exactly based on the widths of both of you, in other words how fat you two are. For example, if you look, I was able to build a little bit more on Mello's side of the room because he is a little bit skinnier than Matt. I was able to build most on my side because I am skinnier than both of you."

I didn't necessarily want to measure it out exactly, but the castle did seem to extend a bit further in my direction than it did in Matt's, and it seemed to go furthest of all toward Near's end of the room. But how did he know those measurements in the first place? That's what I really wanted to know.

Matt beat me to it. "Near, how do you know those measurements?"

The albino gave Matt a look that seemed to say "wow, you're stupid", but decided to answer the question. "I borrowed some of your clothes, measured it all out based on the size of the clothing, then built my castle making sure not to mess up the calculations."

Matt gaped, but I, instead of glaring, opened my eyes wide in anger, biting my lip slightly out of pure rage. Didn't he have any respect for people's privacy?

"What the hell makes you think you can just go through people's stuff like that? Who the hell gave you permission to touch our stuff?!" My voice was loud and angry, not that I cared.

He returned my gaze, but did not show any sign of fear or of backing down. Matt watched us nervously, probably hoping that it wouldn't turn into a fight. Of course I knew it wouldn't, but Matt didn't know how Near could turn into a scary, apathetic zombie in less than a second. He would never fight me, even if I attacked him first.

"Look. I want this whole thing down by the time I get back," I commanded.

"Where you going, dude?" My goggled friend inquired.

"Just for a walk."

At that I left the room and set off out the dorm building, thankful for a chance to get outside. I walked about the orphanage grounds aimlessly, not paying attention to anyone, but enjoying the beautiful day.

The sky had a perfect amount a massive white clouds, fluffy as cotton candy. They seemed to come in every shape as they floated lazily through the cerulean glowing sky. A particularly puffy cloud strolled partially in front of the sun, blocking a majority of its rays from reaching the ground below. The rest of the sun's rays were peaking up and over the cloud, prisoners trying as hard as they may to escape the hold of the guarding cloud.

Across the lush grass I walked, intently thinking of the boy that had come to live with us. It was just so strange; first I hated him, then I wanted to protect him, maybe even be nice to him. But he just makes it so freaking hard! Deep down I know I want to fulfill my vow, but he just makes me so mad. Why does he do that? I mean, he beats me in class, steals my fame as number one, and pulls bullshit stunts like the Lego castle. Does he do it on purpose just to piss me off? I wanted to say yes to that question, just to blame him, but I knew that Near never intended to hurt me on purpose. Maybe that's why I could somehow find the strength to keep my promise and protect him, even though he ticked me off to no end. I'd have to try. I had to.

When I got back to the dorm, Near's Lego's were already down, and to my dismay, he was the only one in the room. I groaned internally and stalked over to his bed, where he sat, reading.

"Uh, Near?"

He didn't look up, didn't even make notice to the fact that I was there.

"Near?" I asked again.

The petite child sighed with mild anguish, "Yes?"

This reaction took me off guard. He sounded…hurt. Or perhaps I was just imagining it.

"I just wanted to say thanks for taking down your Lego's. It probably took a long time, so thanks."

"Why do you thank me? Did you even give me a choice?" Near's voice was quiet and frail, helpless. I was powerless to say anything against it.

Near broke the silence.

"I am sorry I built such an immense structure without first speaking to you about it. You were here first, this is your room. I should have asked. I am sorry. I am also sorry that I used your clothing as measuring tools without first getting your consent. It was stupid of me. Will you please forgive me?"

My first thought was: 'Who is this kid? Using words like consent and formally asking for forgiveness?' My next was: 'Wow, he really sounds sorry. I shouldn't have treated him so harshly. Ugh, now I feel bad.' Guess which one broke out.

"Near. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It wasn't even really the Lego's themselves, it was more…everything else." I paused to see his reaction. He was looking up at me, obviously baffled. I continued, "I mean, you're like taking everything from me. You're number one in everything. You're stealing my dream from me, and it doesn't seem fair, though I know it is."

"But I am not…number one in everything. I am smart, sure, but…" his angelic voice trailed off into nothing.

"But what?" I was curious now.

"But…I am really not all that great. I could never succeed L, only you could do that, I think," he said, setting his book down and turning so that his whole body was facing me.

"Really?" My voice was soft, and it was obvious that I was under his spell.

"Yes, absolutely."

I sat next to him on his bed, looking into his eyes for the first time without being angry. He just sat there, perfectly still, allowing me to glance into his soul. I saw his true emotions, what he kept hidden from me with his invisible mask for so long. There was curiosity about my odd behavior that I always seemed to have around him. There was affection for me, though, too. I saw that he cared for me, though I could not see why. I saw age beyond that of even me, but also a young innocence burning. I saw past all the walls; I saw how truly afraid he was of this world, of how helpless he really was. He was like a lost sheep, no a lost lamb, crying out for someone to help him. I wanted to answer that cry.

Without thinking, I slowly bent myself closer to Near's pale face. His expression did not change, he was totally unsuspecting. But this wasn't about taking advantage, it was about showing this troubled child that I would be there for him.

His lips were warm against mine, and though we were only locked there for no more than a moment, I knew I'd gotten my message across. I didn't want to release him from me, but I knew I should, so reluctantly I did.

Our eyes met once again after our kiss had broken. This time wonder overruled all other emotions in his dark eyes. He didn't know what to make of my actions, and neither did I, but somehow it felt right.

Quite unexpectedly, Near scooted a little closer to me on his bed, so that we were only separated by a couple of inches. He tilted his head back so he could look me square in the eyes, and I let him. Now it was his turn to search into my soul, if he so desired. I wonder what he found there.

He reached up one little hand to touch my face. His warm hand trailed down the side of my face; I stayed perfectly still. Near then cradled my face in his petite hand and leaned it down toward him. He sat up to his full height and reached up his head, brushing my lips with his own in a return kiss.

I didn't know what to do. His lips didn't leave mine, so I closed my eyes and kissed him back gently. His hand never left my face, and he seemed to be sending off vibrant waves of heat, warming my heart.

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Hey, I hope you're all liking it so far! I could really use some reviews, though. I really want to know what people think, so please review!

-Bloodmuffins