"I've been wasted
Pills and alcohol
I've been chasing
Down the pool halls
I drank the water from a hurricane
I set a fire just to see the flame."
-Green Day, See the Light

Matt had to admit that living with Mello wasn't that bad. Sure, Mello was often away doing Satan knows what with the mafia and the apartment wasn't the best thing that Matt had ever lived in; but there were still many perks to the lifestyle. Working with organized underground crime usually coughed up the dough, and Mello never failed to stock up on chocolate and the latest Pokémon games. The apartment looked ragged on the outside, but it was pretty comfy and nicely decorated on the inside due to the OCD that plagued Mello.

There were also the unlimited supplies of cigarettes and the occasional prostitute. And they were always the clean ones.

Yet, there was still something amiss in the teen's young life: affection. The "love" he received from the occasional female companion was nice and all to settle his raging hormones. But yet, there was a dreary emptiness after the fact.

Those girls didn't love him.

Not like how Butterfly did.

And as he went to bed around 5A.M. that morning, gazing out his window at the soon to be sunrise, he wondered.

What am I missing…?

As his eyelids began to close, he answered his thoughts.

Maybe a Butterfree or a Luvdisc….

-

It was the constant sound of her fingers hitting the keyboard that kept Butterfly from dozing off. Finally, after so many sleepless nights and painful years Near had put back together L's legacy, giving them a leg up on Kira. But yet she was still typing, under Near's command, of course.

Near…

For some reason she was beginning to get a bitter sensation in her gut at the sound of his name, even if spoken mentally. The way he ran his ship in such a… strange way bothered her to no end. Compared to way she and Mello both ran, his ways of dealing with things were cowardly. Near wasn't risking his life in an open way.

But perhaps there was a reason other than grades that made Near the smartest of them all.

Nonetheless, Butterfly was beginning to grow tired of Near's antics and the way she was treated. It wasn't that she wasn't respected or anything of that sort, it just seemed as if Near didn't care for her ideas and opinions in the slightest way. Occasionally he would nod or comment, but most of the time her ideas were tossed aside like they were yesterday's toy wrapper.

It was starting to seem like she was only wanted to record information and progress, while having phone conversations, like a secretary of some sorts. Before she knew it, her eyes snapped open (though she did not remember ever closing them) to gaze up at her laptop screen to see many, many pages of the letter "G" continuously throughout the word document. She must have dozed off. Groaning, she held down the backspace button attempting to rid herself of all sixty-three pages of the letter "G" in the best way her half conscious brain could.

"Fuck…" she groaned, but instead of sounding like a normal word, the sound was lower and longer, making it seemed to be foreign.

"Fell asleep again, Butterfly?" an empty yet amused voice asked from behind. Shocked by the sudden noise, Butterfly jumped in her chair and accidentally backspaced more than she should have.

"Dang it, Near," she sighed, spinning around in her chair to stare at the young albino. One of those rare smiles danced on Near's lips as he chuckled at her surprised expression. "You messed me up… What time is it anyway…?"

"Six A.M. on the dot," he responded smoothly, twirling a lock of his snowy white hair. "I came to check on your progress, that's all."

"Six…?" she sighed, clicking the undo button a few times to get back the sentence she accidentally erased. "I was asleep for an hour?"

"Seems so…" Near mused, moving over to the floor to resume building his small Lego tower that he started yesterday evening. "But, if you like, you may take the day off to catch up on sleep." Carefully, he placed a red block onto the structure.

Even though she wasn't quite sure herself, Butterfly took this as an insult.

"I don't need to catch up on sleep," she argued, glaring slightly at that pale boy. "I can function well without it."

Near sighed. "I know you can stay awake as long as you need to. However, we cannot afford any mistakes with this case." Those words were so confident. "So I am recommending that you get a few hours of sleep at least."

Defeated, Butterfly rose from her chair and strolled across the floor towards the door.

"Alright, Near…"

But Butterfly did not plan on going to sleep.

Instead, once she reached her bedroom, she pulled out a small, sleek blue cell phone and flipped it open. Lying back on her bed, she dialed a number she knew by heart ever since she left Wammy's. Once the number was dialed, she held the phone to her ear, nervousness racing through her body like sparks.

"Hello?" a familiar voice asked.

"Hey, Roger… It's me, Butterfly."

"Oh," Roger sounded genuinely surprised to hear her voice. "I didn't expect you to call."

She laughed a bit. "Is there any way I can speak to Matt?"

She heard Roger grumble something about how "This number was not a hotline", before he responded.

"I'm sorry to say, but Matt left awhile ago. A few months, in fact."

"Ah…" Butterfly felt a crippling sinking feeling in her chest. "Did… he say where he was going?"

"I'm afraid not," admitted Roger. "But he left shortly after receiving a phone call from someone else."

Mello…?

"Alright, thank you." The little red button was the next object of her focus. But before she could press it, she heard Roger speak something else.

"Good luck."

With that, she hung up.

For a moment, she stared at the phone that was now shut and in her palm like a small parcel of some kind. With her mind drawing a blank, and the sleepiness still consuming her thoughts, all she could feel was the despair and disappointment of the situation. In a sudden movement, she dropping the phone onto the nightstand beside her bed and gazed up at the ceiling.

"I miss him…" she groaned. "And Mello too…"

Rolling onto her side, she buried half of her face into the pillow, inhaling its bland scent. There had to be another option than just giving up, right? Shutting her eyes, her brain formulated and picked at plans. Her brain was not wired to give up, even after lack of sleep and a non-meal of coffee. She groaned quietly, her eyelids feeling heavy as they struggled to close. Matt wouldn't have just disappeared off the edge of the Earth. Mello would have never allowed that.

Then it clicked.

Mello… If I can find Mello, I can find Matt, simple as that.

Finding Mello shouldn't be a difficult task. Tabs were being kept on him by none other than Near himself.

With her eyes shut tight, she decided that she was going to have cut ties with Near if she wanted to pursue Matt and Mello. It would be a risk; dropping everything for the slim chance of finding her two old friends. But risks were part of their daily lives. For Butterfly life wouldn't be worth living unless there were risks being taken.

As she began to slip into the world of dreams, she envisioned what she would say to Near when she awoke.

-

Mello casually leaned against the doorframe, watching a brunette with eyes the color of melted chocolate brush her hair in a delicate fashion. With his expression displeased like normal, he watched this continue for a few moments, surprised the girl had yet to notice him. Mello had to admit that she was beautiful, something more exquisite than Swiss chocolate by the dozen. With her fine skin and deep eyes, he thought that maybe he had finally fallen in love.

The way her rosy lips parted to laugh, the way her dark brown hair fell from her scalp, and the clumsy yet cuteness of her nature had enchanted him.

There were just two problems with Mello's newfound fascination.

First off, Mello didn't have time for love. With the goal to beat Near to the finish line as his top priority, he couldn't even dare occupy himself with something like love.

But, even if he did want a relationship, the girl practically had a stamp on her forehead reading "off limits". Ross did not have any children; however, his sister had a daughter who he treated as his own.

The girl brushing her hair, Alissa, was said niece.

Ross treated the girl like a princess, treating her better than her own father did. Since her parents were no longer together, Alissa savored her time with her uncle before she would visit her mother in Japan then her father in Italy.

As he pondered over her complex family tree, Mello took a bite of the chocolate bar in his hand, a satisfactory crunch sounding from his mouth. It was the crunch the chocolate made that caused the brunette to stiffen and spin towards where Mello was, her expression contorted to one of shock. Those eyes of chocolate melted slightly when she recognized him.

"Mello, right?" she asked as she turned her body fully towards him to give him her undivided attention.

"Yeah, that's me," he remarked, tearing off another piece of chocolate, breaking it up with his teeth. She watched with curious eyes as he did this, her gaze innocent and amused.

"Can I have some?" she asked in a shy, innocent tone, holding her hand out slightly. Even though Mello was rather stingy with his chocolate, he hesitated for a moment.

"No," Mello responded flatly, his blue eyes refusing to meet hers.

"Oh… alright…" though her posture and words claimed her to be fine with his refusal, her tone claimed the she was rather offended by it. Now she was the one averting his gaze.

Nice going Mello… Matt's voice echoed in his head. With an attitude like that, you'll never get a girlfriend and everyone will think you're homosexual.

Exhaling roughly, Mello plunged his hand into the back pocket of his skin-tight pants and pulled out a chocolate bar that still hadn't melted.

"Wait… I mean… here," he struggled to force the words out. Alissa looked over and smiled at his out stretched hand and reached out to take the chocolate bar. Gently, her small hand took the bar in between her fingers, her skin brushing against his in the process.

A fluttering feeling arose in Mello's stomach and he pulled his hand away as if he has touched a hot coal. Luckily, Alissa didn't notice his sudden action for she was occupying herself with the notion of unwrapping the bar of chocolate.

His heart raced in his chest and he turned away just as her pink lips parted to take a bite of the delectable treat.

This was nothing more than another test, that was all.

He wasn't going to fall.

-

The lights of Los Angeles blurred past Butterfly as she stared out the window of the taxi cab she was riding in. Things were spiraling around her as she tried to recollect her thoughts. Why Near had allowed her to leave so easily had bothered her in some strange way. Perhaps she was expecting Near to make some protest of her leave instead of the bland statement she was given.

If this is too much for you, you can leave.

Those childish words echoed in her head. She shook her head almost as if to shake away the memories. No matter what had occurred, she had a mission to do.

"Here we are…" the taxi driver said in a husky voice, stopping the car in what could easily be classified as a "bad neighborhood".

"Thank you… Doug," she smiled, reaching into the breast pocket of her baggy red and white plaid flannel. As she pulled out a small wad of bills, she totaled the amount she would have to tip. Doug waited patiently, turning his head towards where the young girl was sitting. For a moment, he wondered if she was old enough to be out on her own. But, he was a cab driver; he didn't have any place to ask about these things.

"Are you sure this is where you need to stop?" he asked as she held out the green wad of cash, tipping him generously without a doubt.

"Yes," she responded, waiting for him to snatch up his money. "I plan to look around for a place to stay the night." The sky was already dark, though the night had barely begun.

"I could drive you someplace else, little lady," he pressed, taking away the money and flipping through the bills, noting that she gave an extra twenty dollars. "No charge."

"Thank you, but that will not be necessary." She gripped the handle to the door delicately. Shooting a small smile at the man, she opened the door and stepped into the breezy air. Black locks were tosses to and fro as she shivered, waving to the yellow cab as it hesitantly pulled away. For a moment or two, she watched it depart into the distance. Very few items had been deemed important, so her baggage was light. The bag was slung over her shoulders as she looked around the area.

Shabby cars dotted the streets, some with cracked windows or damaged bumpers. Buildings were drab and colorless with faded signs displaying the name of the establishment. A few neon signs were missing letters, changing the names in the most ridiculous ways. There also seemed to be a large number of bars in this area. But Butterfly was confident she could make it through with her clever wit and her knowledge.
For a moment, she hesitated once again but this was only so she could fix the bottom button on her flannel. Deciding to go left, she walked. The sound of her boots against the cement filled her ears as the wind nipped at her face in a bland way. The night was a bit chilly, but it was something she could handle.

The eyes of a few people who were still out and about during these late hours followed her. Some were interested but most discarded her as being unimportant.

As she walked, her tight pants scratched at her skin, bothering her and turning her attention to only this discomfort, making it seem more painful than it was. However, she knew better than to stop in the middle of street to adjust them. That would be the equivalent of hanging a neon sign above her head reading "someone, please, mug me".

Before she had left, she had found the location of the motels in this area, so she had an idea of where she was going. Why she didn't just ask the driver to take her the motel was a mystery to her. Perhaps it was just an impulsive movement on the chess board or there was some subconscious reason for it. No matter what her motives were, she knew she only had three more blocks to travel.

"Hey there, babe."

The next possible instant, Butterfly felt the air leave her body as she was slammed against the brick of the building, her body screaming in pain. A choke of a gasp escaped her mouth as shock consumed her and her eyes and nose struggled to identify the perpetrator. The first thing she noticed was the stature of the man that had knocked her into the wall. No matter how hard she fought, she was trapped between his hulking mass and brick wall. The next sensation she felt was the coldness of the blade that was now pressed against her throat, too close for comfort.
Unfortunately, the lighting made it hard for her to see the features of the man, but she could smell tobacco and alcohol on his reeking breath.
With her eyes wide with fear, her brain shut down and she was left only with her instincts.

"That's a good girl," he slurred, keeping the knife pressed to the girl's neck. "I don't want to cut you're little face up." A chuckle rumbled through him as if this were some joke. She gulped. The man's large hand reached for the buckle of her pants causing a sudden lurch of a new type of fear to spread through her body.

That's not his…

As the man began to tug the tight trousers down, panic kicked in and the girl began to push at the knife wielding hand, trying to get it away from the vital area of her neck.

"Y-," the man began but his words were cut off as the shrill sound of a bullet took over the sound barrier. Butterfly admitted to jumping at the sound for she hadn't been expecting it.

Suddenly, the knife flew away and the man's body crumpled forward so that he was sagging against the trembling body of Butterfly. Blood oozed from the entrance and exit wounds on the man's head and stained her clothes. For the moment she was oblivious to that fact.

"Long time no see," a voice mused as a figure appeared from the shadows.

Butterfly's heart thumped in her chest as she pushed the body off her, causing it to crumple to the ground with a slight thud. Her fingers curled around her belt loops and she tugged her pants back up, eyes fixed on the one who had fired the shot.

"Mello…" she breathed.

-

A/N: I would like to apologize for any offensive material in this chapter ^^' Thank you for reading.