Epilogue

The awareness of something warm next to me was what finally brought me back to the real world. I was surprised by who I found next to me. Cramped in one small single bed was me and Matt. He had one arm around me and another holding my arm, while one leg of his was over me like I was a bolster. His mouth was next to my ear, snoring lightly and breathing hot air down my neck.

"Matt?" I called quietly, feeling a little uncomfortable with our position. He didn't stir. He looked peaceful but I could see that he has been crying, judging by the puffiness and dark circles under his eyes. I was so worried for him, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Your cousin is back," Mello interrupted, standing by the door with his arms crossed over his chest, looking sourly at the two of us. I still don't understand what has been bothering him recently.

L is back, that should be my main focus right now. I suddenly remembered all the broken plates and chair, the turned over table and blood on the floor. I quickly slipped out of Matt's grasp and was going to hurry down to the kitchen, although I'm not sure what good that would do.

"I've already cleaned up the kitchen. Don't fret," Mello stated dryly. Mello's uncharacteristic cold shoulder towards me was really starting to push my buttons the wrong way, I mean we've just made love, the least he could be was friendly. I remember it! Thank goodness, it's real, I smiled inwardly, knowing that nothing could take away the precious time I've shared with the blonde.

"I really enjoyed myself as well," Mello said, probably reading my thoughts again, finally giving me one of those heart melting smiles. I returned with a happy smile of my own, tiptoeing so that I could kiss him on the lip.

"I love you," I whispered, hugging him tight.

"I love you too, all of you," He said, eyeing Matt who was still fast asleep on my bed.

"Wha-" He placed a finger to my lips, shushing me. "You should go speak with your cousin," He suggested, not letting me finish my question. I sighed and nodded in defeat, walking out of the room to go downstairs.

I entered the kitchen, and found it just as it was before Matt's mother made a havoc of things, not a trace of broken glass or spilled blood anywhere. L was sitting at the table with a cup of his favorite tea and a small plate piled with nicely stacked sugar cubes in front of him.

"Welcome back," I said, catching L's attention. "Where have you been?" I asked curiously.

"Oh good morning Near, come sit down," He gestured for me to sit at the table, placing more cubes of sugar into his tea. "I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, but something came up that I had to check on immediately. Didn't Matt tell you that? I had asked him to stay over and inform you the day I left."

I don't remember Matt telling me any of this at all, but it would explain why he was over at my house. I twirled a lock of my hair, feeling like I've been through some strange time leap.

"L, I have something I want to discuss with you, it's about Matt," I said after awhile, coiling my hair tightly around my finger.

This seem to catch L off guard, his usually large black eyes grew even wider. "I too have matters concerning Matt I would like to discuss with you."

"Really?" It was my turn to be surprise.

L nodded, taking a sip of his highly-sweetened tea. "Yes, in fact the reason behind my sudden departure was to investigate his home." My eyes grew very wide, I was completely dumbfounded. "I'm sorry Near," L scratch the back of his head and gave me an embarrassed smile. "I couldn't help myself, I needed to know who Matt really was, so I conducted a background check on him and it turned out to be beneficial."

"What do you mean?" I asked, still taken aback by L's complete intrusion on Matt's personal and supposed private life.

"I'm sure you are aware that Matt doesn't have a father, but it seems no one has heard from his mother for a little over three years now. I dug a little further and found out that his real name isn't even Matt, it's Mail Jeevas, when I knew this, I was very alarmed. I was compelled to dig even deeper. I ended up at his old residence which he was living in for seven years and you wouldn't believe the skeleton I found hidden in his closet, or more accurately, the skeleton hanging from the ceiling." L explained.

My heart instantly started to race when I heard this. He can't mean…

"Yes, as you can already guess, I was very surprised. The cause of death was suicide as it was plain to see, but I took the skeleton down and brought it for an autopsy. The fractured hyoid bone confirmed my suspicion that it was suicide and furthermore, on conduction of a maternity test, I confirmed that it is indeed Matt's mother. In addition, I also know that Matt was once living in the exact same house he's living in now almost ten years ago, I'm not sure on his reasons for moving back, but the fact that he has kept his mother's death a secret for so long is extremely worrisome." L added more sugar to his tea and drank calmly despite him saying he was worried.

"No L, Matt's not like that, he's a good person…He's just been through a lot," my voice became small, looking down, still nervously playing with my hair.

"Quite frankly, I'm a little amazed at how no one realize this earlier and also the fact that Matt has been able to support himself without any adult supervision. Matt's mother, Sarah Jeevas' bank account has remained active even after her death and what's more there seems to be a steady input of cash from unknown sources. I could guess that he has been illegally hacking for money-"

"L," I stopped him. "Matt's my brother." I confessed bluntly.

L blinked, placing down his cup and putting his hands on his knees in that awkward way that he sits. Slowly he muttered, "I know."

"You do?" I creased my eyebrows.

"Yes, the paternity test came back to a 99% match. I've suspected it since the very first time we met. His resemblance to your dad is just too apparent."

"Please L, Matt's really important to me. Can't you help him somehow? He doesn't have anyone else." I was almost begging.

"There's a lot of legal issues to settle and I have to have a long chat with him, but I'll try to help him. Truthfully, I feel responsible for him, he is part of the family after all." L finished his tea and got up to bring his cup to the sink.

"Thanks L." I got up and hugged him, causing him to stiffened. L was never really good at physical contact, but I didn't know how else to convey my feelings across. "Thanks for everything you've done for me, for taking care of me." I felt his cool long finger stroking my hair awkwardly, finally his placed two hands on my shoulder for what I assume as him returning my hug.

"There's no need for thanks Near, it's just what family do for each other. Honestly, I'm always afraid that I might be doing something wrong. If I ever do, you'll let me know, right?" L, you could never do anything wrong, you're the best guardian anyone could ask for, that's what I thought, but in the end all my emotions just came back as tears and I shook my head, holding tightly to L's waist.

"I'm surprised you're taking Matt in so easily, I thought you'd be shock. Guess my worries weren't necessary. I'm glad you two have grown to be good friends, you should have more of those Near," L said lightly, smiling a little.

I shook my head again, "No, Matt is dad's gift to me," and continued to cuddle in L's embrace.

"Um." A third party's voice made the two of us turn, seeing a very emotionally exhausted Matt entering the kitchen. "I-" He started, but then he lost his words and just looked dismally at the ground.

"Why don't you let me talk to him?" L suggested, and I decided that somebody older would have a better idea on how to help Matt right now so I nodded and headed out of the kitchen.

"I'll talk to you later, okay?" I offered to Matt, trying to cheer him up, but he didn't even look at me in the eye. Defeated, I retreated to my room.

When I reached my room, I closed the door so that I wouldn't be accidentally eavesdropping on their conversation although I was very curious to know what they would be talking about. Sitting down on the bed and pulling one knee to my chest, I obsessively twirled my hair till my finger went numb.

"Something on your mind?" Mello appeared out of the blue, sitting next to me. I let go my curl to hold his hand instead, cuddling close to him.

"I'm just worried about Matt," I replied.

"Tsk," the blonde scowled, looking displeased again.

"What's wrong? Why do you get so worked up whenever it's about Matt? He's my brother, you shouldn't-"

"I just hate it," he didn't let me finish. "He almost got you killed," he said through gritted teeth.

"That's not fair Mello, he was possessed," I tried to defend my beloved brother.

"Why are you defending him? Why do you care about him so much?" He tightened his fist.

"He's my brother, I love him," my pitch rose just a little.

"Aren't I your family? Don't I count for something?" He gripped my shoulders painfully, raising his voice at me.

I was speechless. Cautiously, I asked. "Mello, are you jealous?"

His blue eyes lost their shimmer as he looked down at his hands. "I just want to be part of your life." He admitted finally.

His words were like flowers blooming in my chest, causing me to have an overwhelming feeling of happiness. Despite his tough outer appearances and him being a demon, Mello was absolutely adorable, and I was loving this vulnerable side of him.

"I would really love to introduce you to my family," I offered in a friendly formal fashion.

Mello looked at me in confusion. "What do you mean? I can't, it's too dangerous," He contended.

"There's no rule saying I have to keep you a secret," I insisted confidently.

"But…" I could see that all these years of hiding has made him wary of whether he was suppose to expose his existence to human or not, especially since his last human contact forced him to be a house pet for four thousand years. Something like that would certainly leave a scar, but perhaps he has been too domesticated.

"You are a part of my life, there'll be no objections to that," I affirmed, cupping his face and placing a kiss on both side of his face before laying a soft one on his delicious lips.

"Come," I ushered, taking him by the hand and walking out of the room. I could hear from the voices that Matt and L were still in the kitchen. I walked in and caught their attention immediately, Matt was practically bouncing his way over to me, wrapping me in a tight embrace.

"Near! Did you hear the great news! L says I can stay here with you!" Matt beamed cheerfully, I was glad to see his happy face once again. "We're going to have so much fun together, going to school, playing video games, chasing girls- Hey, who's that?" Matt stopped and asked suddenly, looking at the blonde standing behind me. L was also stretching his neck to get a better look at Mello.

"Um, everyone, I like you to meet Mello, he's my…friend," I introduced coyly.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Mello smiled that million dollar smile of his.

Matt immediately pushed his bangs aside to get a full view of the leather clad teen, his mouth taking on an O shape as he scanned Mello like a mouse sniffs out cheese. L also had one eyebrow raised, he looks like he has a lot of questions he wants to ask. I conveniently forgot to get Mello to change out of his conspicuous leather wear and now he looks completely out of place.

"He's from German," I quickly added to save myself.

"Oh, do you go to the same school? Why is he here today?" L's interrogative spirits was already set in motion. I might have jumped a little ahead of myself thinking that introducing Mello to these two especially L would be an easy task, perhaps this isn't the most well-thought out of ideas I've had.

Luckily Matt stepped in to save the day. "Yeah, he's the new transfer student, we're all in the same class. We were suppose to go bowling today, right Near?" He nudged me in the shoulder, grinning excitedly.

"Yeah, that's right," I tried to keep my face blank.

"Is that so?" L said, almost musing to himself.

"Yeah! So let's go!" Matt piped up, fake walking in his spot to prove his point.

"May I join you?" L inquired, something else in his voice hinted that he was after more than a just peaceful evening of a good bowl. A thumb to his lower lip validated it.

"Sure!" Matt agreed hastily before neither I nor Mello had the time to say otherwise.

"Great, let's get going then," Mello invited, surprising me.

"Oh wait," L paused, digging through his pockets for something. He took out four small bars of chocolate, handing each of us one and keeping one for himself. "Never start a journey without candy to sweetened the way," L presented his peculiar proverb and then we were off.

I bet we must look like an odd bunch walking down the street, with L and his stooped posture, Mello in leather, Matt in goggles and my unusual pallor appearance. Matt and L walked in front of me whereas Mello walked by my side, enjoying the small bar of chocolate a little more than I thought he would.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to eat that?" I whispered silently to Mello, watching him take another happy bite.

"I'm not really sure myself….but it's delicious, it tastes almost as good as you." The blonde was practically shriveling at the goodness of his treat.

"Did you say something?" Matt turned around, eyeing us.

"N-Nothing!" I stuttered, hoping he didn't just overheard Mello comparing the taste of chocolate with me.

Matt seems to be getting along well with L, they've been having a quiet discussion about something for the whole way now.

"…seems pretty suspicious.." L mumbled.

"..it's the aliens I tell you!…" Matt hushed his reply.

Huh? What are they talking about? Somehow I sense that they're talking about Mello. I turned to look at Mello on my left, wondering if he was reading their minds, but he was gleefully licking away at his gloved fingers.

"Hey do you want your chocolate?" the blonde asked me. I handed my chocolate bar over to him, not one for sweets.

Sighing internally, I suddenly realize how at peace I felt. A year ago, I was a lonely boy who had just lost the two most important people in his life. And now, I have a trustworthy guardian who loves me like I was his own child, I found a brother and a friend in the midst of chaos, and most of all, a lover who would protect and treasure me always.

I think back to my parents again, how they had to leave me so suddenly and the despair I felt from their death, wondering why they would ever cause me so much pain and leave me without anyone in this vast empty world. But they're still with me today, somewhere, where ever they have gone, they continue to look out for me and lead me on the right track. I've stopped asking why they died, whatever reason it is, there is a reason, maybe I'll learn it someday, maybe I never will, but I know now that I'm not alone, that they'll always be people looking out for me. And when I think of this, it eases the pain.

I'll always have their memories with me, they are part of me, just as their death has become part of my life. Some nights, it'll still haunt me, but I know daylight will come and I can find something good in the days ahead. I'm sure there'll always be trials and tribulations, Mello and Matt too have their fair share of unpleasant experiences, whether it's betrayal, broken hearts or even death, I know we can face them because we have each other.

They say when God takes something away, He gives something better in return. Maybe it was my parents time to return to His arms, I hope they are happy there. And me, God has given three precious people in their place for me to call family and I'm sure that as time goes on, my wounds will heal and I'll grow into someone my parents would be proud of.

The past shapes us for the future, whatever has happened, life goes on.


So we've finally made it to the end, I thank everyone who has reviewed, faved or alerted this story, from the bottom of my heart, you have no idea how much it means to me that people read my work.

This last few months have been rough on me, trying to get a hold on how to live with bipolar. I never thought I would get back on my feet or write again, I thought my dream was over, but I've proved myself wrong. Even if it's small and not much, I'm glad that I've written this and made it all the way to the end, it started out as just a small idea and as I wrote, the more I found inspiration to write again, and got over the wretched writer's block.

I wanted to finish this soon because I'm worried if I'll be busy with other stuff later on, I might not be writing long stories for awhile but I won't go on a complete hiatus either. Maybe some oneshots here and there. We'll see. I'm sorry I didn't develop this story further, truthfully as I wrote, I did realize there was a lot more I could do with the story. But I've set out a simple goal for myself and I feel like I've achieved it, this story is a lot longer than I thought it would be and it did show the theme of 'family' throughout, which was what I was aiming for. I'm happy with the way it turned out, but I could imagine myself progressing with the story on a later date, perhaps a Mello's POV or Matt's POV. But for now, I hope this makes a sufficient good story.

Again, I want to thank everyone sincerely for their encouragement, you guys are wonderful :)