STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLIED

1˚ONE˚1: Rain

She was breathing heavily; her vision starting to fade into a blurred and slow motion. She could hear her own loud gasps for air, as well as her thundering heartbeats – they were so loud that she thought her eardrums would burst soon. There were no other sounds audible to her. I have to win. I have to win. I just have to win, she chanted mentally as she swiftly wiped off the excessive perspirations serving as obstructions to her sight. She narrowed her eyes, both of different colors, focusing her view on her opponent's grip, at the same time tightening hers. The next serve would be her final chance, and she knew within her heart that she could not afford to lose.

"So, did you break any eggs this time?" a young blonde boy asked teasingly as he placed himself seated beside the taller girl who was hastily swallowing mouthful gulps from a large water bottle of approximately two-liter capacity. Her glossy jet-black hair, usually perfectly straight and gorgeous, was slightly out of place here and there – though less than an hour ago, it had been neatly tied into a ponytail. She looks as though she was running under a heavy rain just a moment ago, the young boy chuckled. Her hair and even clothes were totally soaked, making the curves of her body clearly visible; her skin glittered due to the reflections of sunlight on a thin layer of perspiration. Another boy, whose hair was rather wavy with a lighter shade of blond comparatively, smiled shyly at her before sitting down. Both of them looked no older than fifteen years of age.

The girl stopped drinking. Bringing her bottle away from her lips, she glared at her insulter. He was, however, indifferent towards her burning eyes. The other boy smiled uneasily, trying to think of something to say. After a few moments, she gave up, sighed and pouted.

"Mello! You're so mean! You should at least ask me if I've won!" She complained, giving the younger boy a playful punch on the chest. "Right, Near?" she turned to quieter boy.

"Give it up, Rain. No matter up, you know you can't beat L. Especially not in tennis!" Mello reasoned, laughing as he saw her scowling.

"You mean, not with her current physical condition," Near mumbled softly, adding to his friend's comment, thought not wanting Rain to hear him. It was indeed too soft for both of them; furthermore, they were already playfully wrestling against each other. Before he could say or do anything else, he saw L walking toward them. The only one all three of them could ever agree on respecting.

"Hey, hey! So how well did Miss Rain here do today?" Mello asked, standing up as L approached. L hesitated, looking at the blushing girl.

"Argh! Okay! I'll admit it. We played three matches… and I couldn't even score a point!" Rain confessed. "Does knowing that add to your happiness?" she looked at Mello for an answer. Both the younger boys, even Near, burst into laughter.

"I'll show you what is called a game," Mello told her between laughter, one hand covering his 'probably-painful-from-laughing' abdomen while the other one wiped away tears. "I'll borrow this," he took her racquet and left the bench, "Come on, L, I promise I won't bore you like how that girl there did!"

Rain ignored him, walking towards L and patted his arm. "You better not let him score any point either, or I won't be baking any cake for you this time!" she whispered near his ear, forcing a smile over heavily gritted teeth. Near, sensing another silly 'war' between his beloved 'sister' and Mello, sighed and took out his Transformer action figure.

(Nellie: I have no idea what robots are famous over at England… gomen ne . )

L laughed at her comment. Mischievously, he straightened his usually hunched back (for once), cupped his palm next to her ear, and whispered, just loud enough for her to hear, "I'll pass on the cake. How about a kiss from you? I've been waiting for that for over a decade."

If it could turn any redder, the pigments on Rain's cheeks could probably match the redness of a tomato. She could feel blood, along with unexplainable heat rushing there. If it wasn't because she had just finished three matches with L, one of the boys would have noticed her blushing. However, her reactions soon after were enough to trigger their suspicions. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She shook her head. Looking at him again, she tried to say something, but again, failed pitifully.

"But, the… what… why… how come… you… me…"

"Idea rejected?" L asked, looking hurt. She had no way of telling if he was acting or otherwise. Rain looked down and with her eyes closed, shook her head viciously. She then looked at him again.

"I… it's just that… err… the…" she stammered again. "Argh, never mind!"

"I'll take it as a 'yes'," he smiled, reaching for her chin and tilted it so her eyes leveled his. Rain gulped, her heartbeat intensely growing louder and faster. Even the two younger boys noticed the sudden exothermic chemistry reaction. The sixteen year old had been this close to anyone (besides Near), let alone one from the opposite gender. Their faces only a thin layer of air apart, she could feel his breathing, surprisingly still steady from the earlier matches which had seriously worn her out. She bit her lower lip, slightly scared. She wanted to close her eyes, yet at the same time also wanting to see what would happen. Slowly, and gently, he placed a soft peck on her forehead. And she did something none of them expected. She shrieked. Shrieked and pushed L away from her.

"So… sorry… I… I wasn't expecting that… I didn't… mean… it." She looked away. Silence. As she had her glance back on him, he was smiling-smiling innocently at her. It was a smile she could never resist, though comprehending it requires something beyond even her understanding. And she was regarded by many as a young genius, with an estimated IQ of around 195.

"I'll take that as the deposit," L laughed, holding up his racquet towards her. She blushed again, this time clearly obvious to the younger boys, who couldn't help but holding back laughter. Again, she did something beyond everyone's expectation. She nodded. Shyly. For a split moment, their eyes were on each other, a mysterious sensation floating within the court. Then…

"Mello, you better win this match!" she shouted. Sweat drops were seen on the three boys.

Watching L and Mello playing against each other at full power made her envious. She couldn't remember a time where L looked so happy being with her. For as long as she could remember, she never contributed anything more than troubles and extra burdens to his life. She looked at the other court; a few younger children were throwing tennis balls at each other, all laughing and joking around happily. Just then, a young girl appeared behind her and gave her a soft push at the shoulder.

"Look!" the girl proudly showed Rain one of her sketches in a torn art book. Seeing the sketch, Rain immediately tried to snatch it, but the girl was too quick for her. It was the image of L kissing her just a couple of minutes ago.

"Lynda!" Rain begged, her voice demanding yet desperate.

"I saw it!" Lynda exclaimed proudly. "I've always been suspecting, but I thought it was just my over-imaginative imagination. I bet everyone else would love to hear about it!"

"Don't you dare!" Rain threatened, though she knew very well nothing could hold the younger girl back.

"Well, I'm kind of tired from the outing today… and it's my turn to do to the laundry tomorrow…"

"I get it. I'll do it. In return, shut up, okay?" Rain sighed. Lynda cheered.

"Tell me, Rain, you like him, don't you? You've always been clinging on for the slightest news of him, always waiting for his letter or call…"

Rain did not reply. Instead, she smiled to herself as she recalled the memories she shared with the only two men in her life, in the only place she knows as home- Wammy's House.

She had no real name. No one knew who her parents were. She was an unwanted baby, found soaked in a drain during a rainy day. Had it been a few hours later, her life would have ended at less than two weeks old. The one who found her was none other than Quillsh Wammy, who later established a number of orphanages. Though found in East Bourne, she had heavy oriental features. Running out of bright ideas, Wammy decided to name her Rain. She was later adopted as his granddaughter.

It waswhen she wassix years old that she first met L- her first and only child friend. To her, he was great. Smart, nice, gallant, and strong. He was everything she wasn't. When they were both placed at one of the orphanages Wammy founded, he saved her from bullies. He reserved desserts for her, helped her when all chores were pushed to her, and even stayed with her all night long when she once had high fever. Rain was weak. She had a weak heart. Her left eye had been blind since she was an infant. L was her hero, her knight.

She could never forget the first time L 'saved' her life. It was during a typical field trip. Or perhaps it was a picnic. She wasn't sure. She was not allowed to run around, or to join in the rest of running and playing kids. She was even given a strict supervision by Sister Jane. She felt left out. She knew everyone cared for her, but she wanted to have fun like a typical six year old girl. Later, when Sister Jane went off, for reasons Rain had forgotten of, L was told to 'keep her company', to ensure she would not run off. She tried and begged, but her efforts were all futile in convincing him to act against order. She acted and she schemed, but it was useless against him, who claimed to be far more superior than her in intelligence. Enraged, she finally fooled him with her self-made desserts- tying him up with table clothes while he was focused on the delicacies.

She then ran into a series of 'extreme adventures'. First of all, she lost her way while wandering around in the forest, away from everyone else. Being frightened, she started hyperventilating. This led to dizziness. Before she realized it, she fell into a river. The flow was not that strong, but her heart failed to send sufficient blood supply to her muscle, and soon she was starting to drown. Seven year old L, being slightly shorter and smaller than her, had single handedly saved her. Both of them ended up sick for the coming few days. When asked, L did not expose anything, and thus both received the same punishment. She never thanked him for that.

Two years later, Wammy brought L along with him for his 'journeys'. Rain was heartbroken. She believed she was not good enough for her grandfather. At some point, she despised L for taking over her 'place'.

Years passed. Wammy and L would visit her, or rather, the House, once in a while. Sometimes they would stay for more than a week. Sometimes they would visit separately. She was also starting to get used to her life there. In fact, she loved it there very much. Over the years, her circle of friends was no longer limited to one single person. She was no longer the target for bullies. However, though the number of friends and admirers she had was more than enough for her to handle, her heart remained in vain. L… the only times she was truly happy was when she was with him…

"RAIN!" Lynda demanded, violently shaking the daydreaming girl. Rain laughed and pushed her off.

"Ah," she admitted sheepishly, "I think I do."

Coming up next:

2˚Two˚2: Blossoming Hearts

L announces his desire to pursue Kira and leave Wammy's House, again. Rain tries to stop him, debating with herself if she should confess to him…

Author's Note:
Finally, a revised version of chapter 1. Thanks a lot to my beta-reader, RX-san. Please, please, please review! If you don't like it and have ideas on how I can improve it, it's great! I'll gladly appreciate your criticism. If you like it, it's great too! I wish to know which part attracts you. It'll help me improve my writings. Oh, if you hate it cause it's a Mary Sue… I'm sorry… I'll try to make Rain less Mary-Sue-ish. I already am trying, honest!

I checked, and tried a Mary Sue Litmus Test and scored 'Borderline character. Characters in this range are potential MS's, who can go either way dependent on the author's skill.' Give me a chance, k? Thanks!

I'll give references if anyone's interested :)