Chapter Ten-

I'm trouble he says.

Silence, silence is all around. I no longer hear screams, stories on news of murder and convict; are rare. You see people out in the streets at night more often now, they have nothing to be afraid of; a world worth bragging about.

I feel like I've done the world so much good, and I feel-

"Oi, anybody here? Hellooooo, earth to Yagami." Called Matsuda, clicking his fingers in my face.

"I told you to call me light, stupid." I jokingly said

"Sorry, just a habit, being the younger one and all."

"Hey Matsu, long time no see" yelled Hatsuharu, grapping onto his neck with force.

"Where the heck have you been you slacker? Sick again?" asked Matsuda

"Yeah, unfortunately I got the flu and I just couldn't shake it off. What's been going on?"

"Oh my gosh, everything." Matsuda replied. "You're lucky you weren't even here, L put cameras all over our houses, 'cause he wanted to make sure that none of us were kira. It was so annoying, we had like no privacy."

"Annnd how are you light-chan?"

Hatsuharu had only just turned twenty two last month. Even though he was older than me, and he had the right to because I was younger, I still hated it.

"Hello?" he came up to me and uncomfortably shoved his face close to mine. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, he's been in another world all of today. Good luck getting to him." Matsuda said.

"It's a girl isn't it?" Haru screamed. "OHHHH light has a girl! Have you kissed her yet? Tell me all the gossip!"

Suddenly I was back into the conversation, realising what my blank out had started.

"I don't have a girlfriend." I protested.

"Sure, Or it's a girl you like and you can't tell her that, I see now." Matsuda plotted.

"Shut up the two of you, it's rude to get into people's business." I said pushing Haru of my shoulder. "Can't a person just be tired?"

"Sure, when he's been up all night thinking about a woman." Haru winked and laughed.

"Get over it! There's no woman."

"Calm down, calm down, I was just pushing your buttons. That's what friends do isn't it?"

Friends? It hadn't occurred to me to think that I had friends that weren't from school. Matsuda, Akito and Hatsuharu; people that like me for the person I pretend to be. It's funny how things like that work out.

People that I will use someday, for my plan to work completely. They will play a part in opening doors for me, I almost feel sorry for them. Simple people, unable to observe the true colours of the world; of the people they call 'friends'

Matsuda is a smart person, he has something like me; that all the others don't see. It's a shame that he hasn't worked it out yet, I promise myself I won't kill him when I've used him. If anyone were to find out who I really was, it would be him, cleaver boy.

"There he goes again, off into space. I wonder what he's thinking." Muffled Matsuda. "Yag- I mean Light's mind would be one I would like to see, it would be interesting to know what's going on in that head of his."

"Mmm interesting indeed, say Light-chan, how's school? Still the honour student your father speaks about?"

"it's school Haru, what's to talk about? You do mindless school work, homework, exams. It's not that exciting."

We were all silent after that, as if someone was trying to think of another conversation. The birds were flocking around in the Zen sand garden, I could hear everything, my mind was defiantly in another place.

After a minute or so, Hatsuharu brought up the subject of school again.

"You're right, school's boring. I'm glad I got out of that dump! But you know Light-chan, you only have one more year right?"

"Yeah I guess, but my mum really expects me to go to college, I don't even have the patience to worry about that, I'll worry about it when it happens."

"I didn't think school was that bad." Pouted Matsuda.

"I guess it wouldn't be hard when you're not getting told off by teachers all the time." Spoke Haru.

"Hah yeah, I can just picture you as the rebel at school, the idiot that didn't know what was best for him. You didn't do anything at school, did you?" I asked.

"Not really, I couldn't be bothered. Yeah your probably right, my parents were paying for me to get educated, but I was young and stupid and I thought school was a waste of my time. It got to the point where I didn't care if my grades were shabby, I just wanted to get school over and done with. It doesn't really matter as much now, I have a job and I'm doing what I like. Besides, those people who think education is everything can go stuff it up where the sun don't shine."

"School probably isn't the best thing in life, but at least it gives me something to do. In most cases, it gives me the excuse of looking out the window when I'm bored." I answered.

"If you actually do the work, you'll find it's not that bad. It's not hard to get through school if you actually do the required things." Continued Matsuda.

"I agree." I stuttered.

"Hey! You slacks, where here to work. And FYI, L's looking for everyone, so get down here now." yelled Ichirou, from the stairs. "And what are you guys doing on the roof anyways? If you fall I'm not going to clean your body of the floor."

"Boy, do I hate that guy." Matsuda whispered.

We all nodded, no one said anything- but it was as if we all agreed to that subject.

I hurried down the stairs, eager to see what L wanted. When we all got to the main room, we were surprised to see another person of interest, sitting on the floor. At first I thought he was a small boy, no older than twelve; but when he stood up he pulled off the height just enough to be a head shorter than L himself. He resembled L a lot, I had thought he was a cousin or a close relative.

He had white hair, pure white hair. He wore pyjamas, they didn't fit well and were baggy around his small body. He had the same black deprived lines under his eyes, and just like L; he wasn't wearing shoes. If these guys aren't relatives, they must be clones, there is no way they don't have some sort of blood connection.

He stood there, curling his hair, holding a toy soldier in his right hand. How childish I thought. I wanted to know all about him instantly, especially his age.

"How old do you think that kid is?" whispered Haru to Matsuda.

"Fifteen?" answered Matsuda.

"This is a dear friend of mine, his name is Near, he was in the same orphanage as me and the second best investigator in japan. After me of course. He has recently been interested in this case and has requested to participate in this affair, you will treat him the way you treat me."

"Di-did you just say orphanage?" asked Matsuda.

"L's an orphan!?" exclaimed ichirou.

"That's right, Watari Had built an orphanage for people like me and near. It's called Wammy's house, it was the first orphanage for children with special abilities or children with abilities that may help the world in the future."

"So…you guys aren't related?" I questioned

"No, were not." Spoke near finally.

Whispers became of our little group, it was almost impossible that they weren't related, they were so much alike in every detail.

"Kira is only going to bring trouble to us, it's going to get harder and harder from now on. From now, make sure not to overlook anything that comes, and never underestimate his intelligence. If you need something and I am unavailable, you can go to near. He will help you, don't be afraid to confront him."

With that, the rest of the night was pretty silent. I imagined near to be as talkative as L was in this case, but in fact he wasn't, he hardly spoke a word. When he did talk, it was to L, and it was so small none of us could hear it. I still wanted to know how old he was, I reminded Matsuda to tell me to ask L at a better time.

We thought we were all going to work with L, just L. Now there was some other guy who again, we didn't have any idea about. I realised I had to wait patiently for the time I would unfold everything about them, the people that have no mention of them. The people that don't even exist. Even in a special orphanage- no one was to know what secrets lie beneath the people that live there; be it as children or adulthood.

A few days past, and every time I had left the building of L, I had seen glimpses of this person; hiding amongst the walls of the entrance. He wasn't anyone that worked in the police force, nor was he even one of the people working on other cases other than the 'kira' case.

I couldn't see his face, he was questionably undercover, careful and precise in his movements. He made short work of my sneaking around, as when I moved in closer, he moved in further, he knew someone was trying to see him. Even though I had no information on him, I knew that this guy was no amateur, he knew fair well what he was doing and what he was to do next. He was sly, and even with skills such as mine, he overpowered them.

The afternoon of one day, closer to the time the owls emerged from their nesting's, I saw him again: but this time I saw more of him, for he was unaware of my spot on the roof. I still couldn't view his face, I saw the view of what only a bird could.

He was wearing a striped shirt, the strips were red and black and distinguished him between many of those in suits of black. Over the striped shirt was an overcoat of some sort, it had no sleaves; letting me see the shirt underneath. His pants were a black skinny pant-the material like denim.

To compliment his unusual look, he had black gloves, steam punk like boots and green coloured glasses over his eyes; almost like goggles.

He stood there, seeming to do nothing but stare into space; hands in pockets and a fag in his mouth. He was constantly smoking; there wasn't a time where I hadn't seen him without one.

The difference between what he wore and what the police men wore was an immediate knowledge that he wasn't one of them, and to think that no one was taking any notice that he was there. My suspicions of him grew fast. I was to keep an eye on him.

The boy was quiet, even putting aside the mask he wore- protecting him from those he wished hate on. Who was he…?

Curiosity killed the cat, but no cat I shall be tonight. I am the rat that sneaks when no one knows-the one you can't kill.