Chapter 10: Life

Raisa's POV

I walked down the hallway, Near and Alexis by my side. We were walking to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, preferably strawberry pocky, when I saw a flash of gold to my left. I spun around, trying to catch a glimpse of the retreating blonde before he turned the corner.

I sighed, running my fingers through the messy locks. 'I wish he would talk to me. I would even be fine with him yelling at me. I just wish he wouldn't ignore me.' I thought bitterly, 'It never used to be like this. If I had only scored a little lower, things would be different.'

"I'm not really hungry anymore," I mumbled. "I'm going back to my room."

I turned and left, hurrying back to my room. I closed the door and jumped down onto the bed. Reaching my hand under the pillow, I pulled out the four year old photograph.

Flashback

Alexis was grinning from ear to ear, holding up her hand in a peace sign. Matt copied the sign and held it behind Alexis's head, giving her bunny ears. Mello smiled at the two, a chocolate bar in his hands, and Near was playing with Bumblebee, his Transformer action figure. I was standing between Near and Mello, my arms wrapped loosely around their necks.

"Say cheese!" Watari quickly took a photo to capture the moment. Unfortunately, the shot was ruined because Near decided it was a good time to have Bumblebee fly around our heads while voicing his thoughts out loud.

"I don't understand why we have to say the name of a dairy product before having a picture taken," Near said, plopping onto the marble floor. He pulled his knee up to his chest, and set the action figure beside him, twirling a lock of his white hair.

"I don't either." Mello frowned, crossing his arms. "Why can't we say 'chocolate' instead? Chocolate is much more appetizing than cheese," he argued.

"Well, I don't know why. 'Cause it's a tradition, I guess," Raisa replied, tapping her finger on her chin, deep in thought.

"I suppose we could replace 'cheese' with 'chocolate' though," Alexis said.

"Are you guys all ready?" Watari asked.

"We're ready," we spoke in unison.

When we assumed our original position, Watari took the picture. The word 'chocolate' reverberated off the walls causing us all to have a giggling fit.

"Seriously, Mells? Chocolate?" Matt asked.

"What's wrong with chocolate? You know it tastes better than cheese."

End Flashback

My finger tips gently ran over Mello's face.

'We can't be as close as we used to since I don't have as much time as before. It's all because of my job.' I rolled over on the bed so that I was facing the wall, clutching the picture to my heart.

'It's been three years since Alexis and I started working. Four years since we became the second greatest detectives in the world, pushing Eraldo Coil into fourth and Deneuve into fifth. And four years since our friendship fell apart," I thought sadly.

'He has avoided me like the plague since then and would always ignore me when I try to talk to him. Although to be fair, I haven't been putting much effort to help the two of us make up. I don't purposely go out of my way to find him, though I still want to be friends again. I'm just scared that he doesn't want to. I'm scared of the rejection.' I sighed before rolling back over to put the photo back in its place.

'L is a great guy, though pretty strange looking. He was the one who helped me become a detective; the work gives me a temporary escape from having to deal with Mello.' I got off the bed and walked up to my desk, pulling out a file from one of the drawers.

'He even lets us work with him on major cases and gives us our own cases to solve. We sometimes have to leave the orphanage for several months, either by ourselves or with L. That gives me even less time with Mello, which is something I am both thankful and depressed about.' I scanned through the papers, immediately solving the case. I put the solved case on the left side of my desk and took out the next file.

'Of course, this isn't just fun and games or a way to avoid Mello; it's also pretty hard work. Since being one of the greatest detectives in the world constantly puts us in danger of being assassinated, Watari and L had to teach us many valuable skills. Watari taught us the art of espionage and how to shoot guns, while L taught us capoeira and how to hack.' I finished the case, putting it on top of the other solved one, forming a neat pile.I took out another file and began the same process again.

After five minutes of work, I stopped for a minute to relax. I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms and legs. 'Alexis has been teaching Matt how to hack too. It seems he has a talent for it. I wonder which one of them is the better hacker,' I thought, tapping a finger on my chin.

Mello's POV

I turned the corner, walking towards my room. I shoved the door open, immediately slamming it shut. I slid down it slowly until I was sitting on the floor, my back against the entrance.

'I shouldn't have run from her, last time or today. I should have stayed and listened to what she had to say. But that was in the past, and now it's too late to undo my mistakes.'

Flashback

I stood behind the door, listening to the last bits of their conversation.

"…It'll be okay. Mello didn't mean what he said," Matt said.

"But what if he did? ...What if he really meant it?" Raisa asked.

There was silence for a while, neither one of them speaking. Soon after, there were shuffling noises behind the door. Matt opened the door and walked out, softly shutting it behind him. He instantly turned to face me.

"You should have handled that differently," Matt reprimanded.

"…I know."

"Instead of screaming at her, you should have listened to what she had to say. She was crying for hours!"

"…I know."

"Then go apologize!" Matt snapped.

"…I can't," Mello answered simply.

"Why not?" Matt asked, exasperated.

"I don't have the right to look her in the eyes anymore. Not after causing so much pain. You didn't see the look in her eyes when I told her we were never friends."

End Flashback

There was nothing I could say to apologize. I caused her a lot of pain. I can't face her after that.

Alexis's POV

I sighed, continuing the walk towards the kitchen with Near. We walked in silence, both of us too absorbed in our own thoughts to pay attention to the other.

'These last four years have been pretty awkward. I wish those two would make up and be friends again, but it doesn't look like that'll happen anytime soon.' We arrived at the kitchen, the two of us grabbing some lollipops and chocolate bars from the cupboards before heading back.

'The only one I have to talk to is Near and Matt, but Near doesn't talk a lot, and I don't know what to say to Matt. Lately, the only time I ever speak with him is to teach him how to hack. And we don't really speak beyond that. Why can't things go back to the way it was four years ago?' I thought wistfully.

Author's Note:

Is my story good or bad? Is it boring? I wish someone would tell me!