Authors note: this chapter is a bit longer because I've been slacking off...a lot. Anyway I would like to inform you that the next chapter is already written so be looking for it around Friday. This chapter doesn't have any Matt/Raito interaction like the past chapters have but it has Near and Mello. Good, right? Anyway, the next chapter will bring Matt back in and we'll move on from there. Please read, review and enjoy.

Broken wings

Mello hadn't so much as spoken since returning from the warehouse. Instead he sat in the corner of Roger's office watching the cars drive by on the street and the new line for L busy themselves studying for exams instead of playing. They had no idea where they what they were working for and the kind of sacrifice that it took to be able to take up the position. He was starting to believe that there were something's in this world created for certain people and maybe Near belong in that place. He closed his eyes getting back at the matter at hand before taking another glance at the cup of hot chocolate that Roger had sat beside him on the window sill. He sighed taking the now cool cup into his hands and staring into the murky liquid. He couldn't bring himself to drink it, not right now when there was so many things that he should have been doing. The first thing he was going to have to complete was getting Roger on his side. The old man wasn't in the mood to listen to him after the warehouse incident but still he sat watching him with quiet interest probably readying a case study in his head with each passing second.

"Mello." The man spoke finally glancing sideways at the phone that connected to Near before looking back at Mello. "If Matt is actually missing, which you really seem to believe that he is what is it that you want me to do?" He questioned tipping his head forward to show the other he was listening. When Mello didn't respond for several minutes he sighed and continued. "Mello, you full well know that my place is here watching the children who are grown and bred to become L. If anything the kind of power that you're looking for has to come from Near who you are refusing to allow me to get involved. The only thing that I can conclude at this time is that you've trusted me to have called Near in your absence and get his take on the whole situation. Is that what you wanted Mello? There is also the idea that you want me to override you in front of you so I can call Near right now."

The blond glanced sideways finally taking a long drink of his hot chocolate to show the man that he had already come up with an idea on his own. "you've already contacted Near." He replied seriously giving the other a heavy glance but he didn't continuously comment on it. "What did Near tell you when you called him?"

Roger frowned, "Near said that Mello knows Matt more than anyone else. For Mello to believe that Matt was kidnapped and not taken of his own free will means that it is probably so." He looked down at his own folded hands knowing that the next sentence wasn't going to be received well. "Near is already on the case and he has started looking for Matt. Most likely the warehouse that you just left is being combed by Near's people in a hope that there were some form of clues that you may have ghosted over in your time there."

A scowl set on Mello's face but he didn't speak against the younger boy even though he wanted nothing more than to keep Near out of this. The boy had no place sticking his nose into this but Roger was right he had wanted him to call Near. The white haired boy was the only person who had the type of personal to be able to search for Matty. He couldn't go to the mafia and ask for them to look for his missing lover. He may have wanted Matt back but he didn't have a death wish in the process. Certainly helping Matt wasn't getting himself killed in the process.

"Seeing as we've already gotten the reject into the situation might as well call him and get his take on this." He crossed the room in a few easy strides kicking the desk to knock the phone off its hook. He could almost hear it autodialing the white haired boy. He reached forward hitting the speaker button and settling on top of the seat waiting for the answer that would come soon.

"Mello." The deadpan voice came from the speaker almost as if he had been waiting for the phone to ring on his side.

"Near." Mello replied almost instantly giving a glance at Roger whose colour had completely faded out of his face. "Seeing as Roger has already has you involved where you shouldn't be sticking your neck tell me what makes you think Matt has disappeared?" He questioned glancing at the old man who was now glancing quietly at his hands. He rolled his eyes before glancing back towards the phone waiting for the other to answer.

The silence passed through the room for several seconds before the white haired boy responded. Mello already knew that the boy had come up with an answer, the pause was for Mello. "Mello wanted Near to be on this case." He replied finally as if it were clear to everyone. "Near has the man power that Mello does not. Near also is able to do what Mello cannot by convincing Roger that Matt has disappeared."

Mello stifled a grin, "That's not what I asked you Near. I asked why you think that Matt has disappeared."

"No one knows Matt's movements like Mello. If Mello believes that Matt has disappeared then it is likely true. Matt's car has been located at the warehouse location. That car is like a child to Matt he would not simply abandon it in such a place." Near's sounded almost distracted as if he were watching the two in the room together. Knowing Roger he did have camera's set up in the room they were currently occupying just so that Near could watch them at any given time. If anything Mello found the idea creepy.

Roger sighed reaching into his desk for what seemed like a date book. "Well, under the given circumstances I'm going to guess that I can tell you this." He flipped open the book and pointed to a date two weeks prior. "Matt came here two weeks ago exactly. I suspected that you were at work or he fed you some form of lie so that he could leave the house on his own without you thinking too much about it." He watched blue eyes narrow on the date book but Mello didn't speak so he continued. Near was silent also. "He came here begging for anxiety pills and claiming that he had a sudden spike in paranoia in the last few months. He said that no matter where he went or what he did he felt as if someone or something was watching him. He actually admitted that being in this office was the first time that he felt as if they eyes couldn't follow him. I had asked why he hadn't bothered telling Mello but he simply said that Mello had enough going on than sitting around worry about what was wrong with him." Roger stared at the datebook shaking his head. "I didn't think too much of it. When he lived here we tested him for everything from anxiety to depression and he never exhibited any symptoms until Mello left Wammy house. Afterwards he seemed to suddenly develop them all."

Mello continued staring at the book in front of Roger before folding his arms. "And?"

"The two of you had shown up a few months prior to Matt's visit and I made sure that I watched him carefully. If anything he had reverted to how he had been before Mello had left him. He seemed perfectly fine, completely locked away in his own world. It was normal for Matt." He sighed deeply. "But when he came in he was jittery and almost worried that he had done something wrong. I…" He faltered glancing up at Mello's face who was still staring blankly into the datebook. "I convinced him that everything was fine and it was all his head. I believed that it would be sufficient to subscribe him something until Mello was able to spend more time with him. I never imagined that someone was actually following Matt. Mello is always so careful but now I see all I did was lower Matt's defenses in this situation."

Blue eyes finally lifted from the datebook but it was Near who spoke. "Did Matt reveal who he believed was following and watching him?"

Roger shook his head, "No. He kept responding that he had no idea who would think about taking any interest in someone like him. I figured that everything he was talking about was a group of faceless and imaginary figures."

Mello shook his head, "His paranoia was right. I found camera's all in our apartment. I hadn't been there for quite a while so I have no idea when they were put in. I'm guessing they were placed in the house sometime when both Matt and I were out. I might as well go ahead and tell because Near's involved just as much as the rest of us now. While at the warehouse I got a phone call from Matt. He attempted to tell me where he was but the phone was taken away from him." His head fell into his hands. "The voice on the other end I never imagined I'd hear under these circumstances." He didn't bother glancing up into the perplexed face of Roger. "The man who has taken Matt is Kira."

~*xXx*~

God had gone. Makami was stuck sitting outside the room where Matt had been peacefully sleeping for the past few hours and he suspected that the other would be out for at least a day. He had been on God's side when he suggested that Makami should bug the red head's house and car because he was close with Mello. He was on God's side when he suggested that Makami should kidnap the kid. He was even on his side when he suggested that he should drug him to keep him down long enough for God to pick a place to keep him. But now it seems more like God had just been using them all to acquire the boy. He shivered at the thought that the other had lied to him.

"Had he woken up?" The voice came from down the hallway as Raito strolled forward removing his jacket from outside. It was clear that he was taking more time off from his work than he usually did but that was none of Makami's business and so he would keep it to himself. He frowned, "I asked you if he has woken up since I left?"

The dark haired man shook his head slowly, "No. He's actually been lying in the same position since you left. I doubt that he'll be awake any time soon due to blood loss. His body needs time to replenish itself." He noticed the other held no remorse at his words. "God." He whispered taking note that the other didn't even look in his direction but acknowledged him none the less. "What is the point for this boy? I mean originally we were watching him because he was working with Mello but now it seems that you want him for a more personal reason. It seems more that you didn't want him because he worked with Mello."

Raito shook his head slightly with a smirk on his lips not unlike Matt's. "I should have known I couldn't deceive you like Misa. You're much too smart for that." He reached forward pushing the door so that he could peer in on the sleeping red head. He couldn't stop the smile that came to his lips almost instantly but he turned to look at the other. "Allow me to put this in terms that even you can understand. I am not to be questioned. I don't care why you thought I wanted Matt but as far as you're concerned he belongs to me. He's mine. Think of him as being in the position Misa attempted to allocate herself into." He folded his arms glancing back over his shoulder. "Do you understand me Makami?"

The man took in a deep breath but nodded anyway. He hadn't come that far just to begin to doubt God. "Of course."