Bang!

"Your aim is way off. More to the left."

"Pfft. Thanks, blondie."

Mello scoffs, and Matt smirks as he steadies his gun towards the target once more. The blond's gaze is fixed entirely on Matt, his weapon, and the target, although his mind is somewhere completely different. Matt could've pointed a gun to his forehead and he wouldn't of noticed. However, once he did, the red-haired teen would likely get the gun just shoved right back in his own face.

Another shot rings through the air, and this time, it gets dead centre, hitting it with a loud snap. Matt's green eyes, now bare without the goggles, gleam as he sets down the gun on one of the ledges beside Mello, who still apears to be off somewhere in his head.

"Mells?"

"...What the fuck do you want now?"

Matt glances over at the thin, yet muscled older teen, preparing to say something, but then just smirks and shakes his head. Mello raises an eyebrow and tilts his head.

"What?"

"Well...I..."

"Your reluctance is cute and all," Mello says mockingly, his voice sweet yet sarcastic, "But I'd appreciate, ginger, if you'd stop with the pathetic nervous stammers and just tell me what the hell is up with you."

The redhead finally merely sighs and leans against one of the windows, running a hand through his hair.

"I think I like someone,"

"...Oh?" Mello raises an eyebrow, "Thanks for sharing?"

Rolling his eyes, he turns away, picking his abandoned gun back up and pointing it at the nearest target, "Just thought I'd let you know. I know if I didn't tell you now and you found out later, you'd probably skin me,"

"True. But, since you decided to give me that gist piece of information, how about sharing with me a most important part to your confessment," He stretches slightly, "Who?"

"Well..um...Rachel."

Mello's hand twitches. It then jerks to the rosary around his neck, and begins to twirl the cross between his fingers.

"Rachel?"

Matt nods, crossing his arms. He's trying to act cool about the situation, obviously; but Mello notices his blush. Matt notices something about the blond, however, as well; he's fiddling with the cross around his neck as if his life depended on it. He only did that when he was one of three things; nervous, beginning to get angry, or just jealous. Matt couldn't tell which. He didn't know why either.

"...Why Rachel?" Mello finally asks, an eyebrow raised, "I mean, I know you're always around the chick, but...c'mon, man."

"What?"

"You're so...opposite of eachother,"

"..."

Mello sighs and finally shrugs, averting his blue gaze to his boots. His lip finally curls mockingly, and the tone of which he says the following words are laced with nothing but sarcasm.

"Oh, how fucking adorable,"

Matt smiles, "Glad you agree, dude."

________________________________________________________________________

-Few Days Later-

It's quiet. Way too quiet.

Headquarters has been unusually dull for the past couple of days. The Kira case had slowed down signifigently, and L and his Taskforce wondered if this meant Kira was at some sort of disadvantage. In a posistion where he couldn't be able to access his selected tool for killing prisoners.

This only made the suspicions of Ryuu being Kira even higher.

L announced to the entire taskforce only days prior that Ryuu was their main suspect. It didn't help that he was the only suspect for being Kira, and at the moment, he was at a disadvantage. If someone like Ryuu really was Kira and wanted to kill criminals, he wouldn't have the chance, since he's almost always surrounded by members of the Taskforce.

That was until the rate for Kira's killings went up by 61 percent exactly. Dozens of different criminals were killed daily.

Mello had actually been doing alot of work, though, lately. He was acting like the boss he had been before L had returned to the taskforce. Then again, there were times when Mello would rather be doing things other than work, and hang out with some friends.

Apearantly, today was one of those days.

"So, prettyboy," Mello grins, slipping around his red-haired companion and over to Ryuu, "What do you have planned for today? Getting your hair done? Manicure? Pedicure? Nah, I know what you'll be up to," the blond winks, giving his hair a toss for the effect, "You'll be trying to find ways to seduce L, right? Knew it, man! Better be careful- Chris won't be too happy about that."

Ryuu, despite how much he'd love to leave a dent in the young man's face, turns away and decides to ignore his obnoxious jokes. He's learned that Mello is the kind of guy that if you ignore him, he'll get bored and leave you alone.

Mello's obviously realized Ryuu's way of thinking, and decides to make him change his mind about that.

"I heard the gossip section in that is quite good," Mello's annoying companion of course apears from no where, peering over the magazine Ryuu was briefly scanning through. Scowling, Ryuu jerks the magazine up so it hits Matt in the side of the face, knocking him backwards.

Thats what I thought.

So, of course, Mello witnesses it, gets pissed off, and walks over to Ryuu, smiling sweetly. This frightens him.

"Touch him again," Mello purrs, uncrossing his arms, "And I'll shove that magazine up your ass."

Then, Mello's hand turns into a fist, and it slams across Ryuu's face. Hard.

That's what I thought.

_______________________________________________________________________

"DUDE! MELLO! RACHEL!"

...Oh no, is the only thing Mello can possibly think as a red-headed, striped, goggle-eyed teenager bursts into the mainroom.

A soaking wet, drenched, dripping red-headed, striped, goggle-eyed teenager.

Rachel, sitting on the couch with her violet gaze fixed on a page of one of her novels, glances up slowly, and it looks as if she's thinking the same thing as Mello. Hesitantly, she puts down her book.

"...What happened to you, Matt?"

Probably fell in the toilet or something, Mello thinks dryly, though either way, he stays silent as he waits for Matt to answer Rachel's spoken question, and his silent one. L and Near, on the other side of the room, stare at the redhead expectedly, an eyebrow raised.

He shrugs striped shoulders, "I was downstairs, actually, and I discovered a room I'd never been in before. And I've been in this building for like, years now, but it's always been locked. Until today," he pauses, shaking his red hair, "So, I walked in. And obviously, it was pitch-black. No lights. When I went to find one...I fell into some water."

Some water. Nice explanation, doormatt.

Matt isn't done yet though, "I climbed out of the water, though, and eventually found a light. When I turned it on, dude, I saw what I fell in."

"..."

"A pool! And it's fucking massive!"

Mello and Rachel both blink, and say at the exact same time, in the exact same words.

"...A pool?"

And everyone's gazes all turn expectedly to their mentor, their boss, their leader. L sighs.

"I thought the last thing we needed right now was access to the pool, with us being so busy with the Kira Investigation and all," he muttered, blinking his black eyes slowly, "But I guess it doesn't matter anymore. You've found it, so you're free to use it."

"Sweet!" The redhead immediantly turns to Rachel, and doesn't even have to ask her, for she stands up immediantly. When Matt turns to his blond-haired friend, however, he's immediantly looking around, trying to make up an excuse to not go with them, "C'mon, Mel. What do ya say? Scared of the water?"

"Pfft. Me? Scared of water? Nah," he shrugs, his blue eyes jumping to L, "I, er, promised L I'd get his files sorted...in alphabetical order...in their correct cabinets...right? L?" He shoots the dark-haired detective a pleading look.

L either doesn't see it, or he chooses to ignore it, "You never told me that, Mello. Besides, Near had that job done yesterday for me."

Damn you, L. Damn you.

"Whatever," Mello finally growls, standing up. Matt grins, and finally turn to L and Near. L immediantly whips around and begins to look through files, and Near merely mutters something along the lines of, 'tired, bye,' and leaves the room.

So once more, it's Matt and Rachel going off to do something, and the poor blond chocoholic being dragged along with them.

__________________________________________________________________________

"Too bad Chris wasn't around," Mello growls, slipping a towel off of his left shoulder, "Because I'm sure she could've persuaded L to come down into the pool area. I don't want to be by my damn self while you're flirting with Rachel in the pool. Hell, I don't even want to be here right now."

"Shut up!" Matt snaps back, glancing around warily. Rachel hasn't come down yet, and so far it's only Mello and Matt. Matt, lounging in one of the chairs at the side of the pool in red swimming trunks, while Mello's are black, and he's leaning against one of the walls, a dry look clear on his face.

"Can't you keep quiet about it?" The redhead inquires, almost pleading. Mello raises an eyebrow at him, finally just scoffs, and replies;

"No. Where's the fun in keeping quiet?"

"Mellooooooo!" Matt growls, glaring at his friend. Mello smirks, amused.

"Relax, Mailbox, I won't leak out your little secret."

The two lock gazes for an instant; a deep blue more heated than electricity, and a cool green, mildly confused. The general amusement Mello usually holds, visibly clear, isn't as obvious, and could be interpreted for something else. He seems distracted. Again.

Whats his problem?

Both teenagers look away, however, when they see the door open and a familliar young girl walk through them. Rachel is now wearing a rather revealing black two-piece, a necklace with a violet stone on the end visible, and a towel draped over her arm. Matt just stares, which isn't suprising, although he isn't the only one with his gaze completely on the slender pale-skinned girl.

Mello's staring as well, which, for most teen boys, is pretty normal. However, Mello usually isn't so intrested in any girl he just briefly sets eyes on, so this, Matt would say, is slightly suprising. He slowly arches an eyebrow.

Things remain awkward throughout most of the swim. Matt dives in, and after talking with Rachel for a while by the side of the pool, goes off and swims on his own. Rachel remains on the edge, her legs in the clear water, which shimmers and reflects off the high ceiling above and the walls.

"You going in?" Rachel twists around to look at Mello, her sidebangs hanging down into one of her violet eyes, glancing momentarily over at Matt, "Or are you letting your friend go in there on his own?"

"On his own," the blond says indifferently, still leaning against the wall of the room. Rachel looks at Mello for a few moments, not only noticing how quite in-shape and musculer he is, but as well as the fact that he doesn't seem to have a usual sneer to his voice, or a mocking glint to his eyes. He looks calm, he looks neutral. Then Rachel sighs and looks back into the depths of the pool.

"You can go in if you like, though," Mello finally murmurs from behind her, "I'm sure Matt wouldn't mind. Actually, he'd probably mind if you didn't go in the pool."

Rachel smirked slightly, lifting her head back up to look at the young red-headed boy in the pool, diving down to the bottom of the pool, and coming back up. Rachel didn't need anyone to tell her that Matt liked her, she already knew, and just maybe, goggle-boy was starting to grow on her too. But she was reluctant to get too close to him.

"I'll stay out for now," the black-haired girl says, stretching slightly, "Maybe in a few minutes-"

"I'll be gone," Mello cuts in, finally standing up and walking away from the wall he had been leaning against. Rachel blinks and turns to watch him leave.

"You two have fun," Mello calls over his shoulder, the sarcasm returning to his voice, "And I'll be doing some sort of crazy job for L, or something. Fun."

Then, he leaves.

----

(A/N: REVIEW!
...is all I have to say)

- b l u e y