Author's Note: I just decided to throw this in when I was about three pages through this chapter. I've had the hardest time remembering Ryuk. I had to got back and add in paragraphs and stuff because I completely forgot about him… Other than that, I've been having a lot of fun writing this. I keep watching and rewatching episodes of Criminal Minds, but I really should be reading Death Note more… But every I start, my laptop likes to give me the black-screen-of-death. It must hate Light just as much as I do. So if you notice any glaring mistakes about Death Note, blame my laptop. Oh, and yes, I do know Mello and Matt died in the series, but I thought it would be more fun with them, so Ali ended up saving them. I'll add in how later, I promise.

Oh! And please comment! I want to know what you think!

P.S. I'm currently writing a fan-fic for Fullmetal Alchemist, but I'm not sure I should post it. It's mostly about Scar, actually, almost all of it focuses around him. Anyway, it's already 14 pages long, and I'm not anywhere close to ending it. This may be the longest thing I've ever written. I could split it into chapters, but it'll still be insanely long…

Two Nightingales

I sucked in my breath the moment I took a step into my apartment. The heels I had been wearing made a sharp click when they struck the linoleum-tiled floor. The blonde man on my couch sat up quickly and gasped in surprise. He cursed loudly and rubbed his eyes. His shoulder-length hair was perfectly straight on one side and horribly knotted on the other. He had been sleeping for at least a few hours, but didn't roll around at all. There was chocolate around the corners of his lips. I noticed a half-eaten chocolate bar on the end table next to my couch. It took him a few moments to fully wake up, and when he did he looked right at me. "You walk to loud," he said.

My mind froze. Mello? I thought. But Mikami had said… He had lied. I realized this now. I couldn't think of a single reason why I should have believed him, but I had. Surprise must have flashed across my face because Mello looked completely confused.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I… I thought you were dead," I said and started explaining everything that had happened to me since I arrived in Virginia. Mello listened quietly. He didn't even reach for his chocolate bar. He understood what I had gone through and wanted to know why I had thought he was dead. When I mentioned Mikami, hate flared in Mello's eyes. Mikami had nearly gotten all of us killed and Mello wasn't about to forget any of that.

When I was done we both sat, silent, for a few minutes. Mello broke the silence, "Are you sure Mikami is dead?"

"Yes. I was unconscious, but Spencer Reid most definitely explained a heart attack. He wrote his own name in the Death Note. He is dead," I said, my voice steady and strong.

"Then we have something to be thankful for," Mello replied. And he was right. Now we were certain everyone who sided with Kira was dead. This peace of mind was priceless. Now the only ones who had knowledge of the Death Note and our true names are the members of the Kira Task Force. And while they worked with and trusted Yagami Light, once they learned he was Kira even Matsuda turned against him. "But, where did he get the piece of the Death Note?"

"He took a page from Rem's," Ryuk explained. Mello gasped in fear. Ryuk had just walked through the wall right behind Mello.

"What the shit! How long has he been hear?" Mello yelled. Ryuk burst out laughing. And so did I.

"He's been following me around for a while now," I explained. "And don't worry, he's telling the truth."

"You knew Mikami had a page?" Mello asked.

"No. But I know Ryuk won't lie to me. Right, Ryuk?" I asked threateningly.

"I don't lie, it's not my style," he said quickly. I laughed again and turned back to Mello.

"I still have Rem's Death Note, and you can be sure no one will be able to find it, much less use it," I explained.

"You took Rem's? Then Near has Gelus's right?" Mello asked.

"Yeah. Wait, Near? He's alright, right? And Matt?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Don't worry, we're all fine!" Mello assured me. "Forget about Mikami, okay?" uncharacteristically gentle.

"Mello… Yeah, he's dead now anyway," I said. Silence followed for the next few minutes, then I thought of something. "Wait, why are you here?" I asked.

"What, I can just show up?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well yeah, but I thought you were in Japan. I'm pretty sure you're not just 'showing up' if you're coming from Japan," I said, still giggling. "What about the others? Are they here?"

"We got here on the same plane, but then they got lost," Mello said.

"What! Near and Matt are lost in D.C.!" I yelled. How could he lose them! Those to should never be left alone on a big city, or a small town for that matter. "Go find them!"

"Alright! Just don't bite my head off!" Mello cried and pulled his hands up around his face, mimicking self-defense. I slapped him told him to get some shoes on. We left my apartment and headed to the garage. Mello followed me to my motorcycle, but it was fairly obvious we couldn't fit four adults on it. Mello pulled out a keychain and pressed a button on it. A red Subaru's lights flashed. The car looked brand spanking new and like it cost at least 30 thousand dollars. I asked Mello how he got it, but he just shrugged and got in. He sped out of the garage and drove like an Italian through D.C. Not a single cop even tried to pull him over. Maybe they're all on holiday.

He drove along the main street, but we couldn't see them. Eventually, we got out of the car and asked people if they saw a thin brunette guy walking around with an albino kid. The first time I said 'albino,' Mello gave me a confused look. I told him if Near had pink eyes he'd be an albino, no mistake. He already has white hair, despite being six years younger than me, and deathly pale skin, mostly because he never goes outside. All he needs is pink eyes, but unfortunately, his eyes are pale gray.

While we drove aimlessly around D.C., Ryuk was flying through the air, looking for the others. Mello figured with Ryuk's help, it wouldn't take us long to find them. I, however, knew Ryuk would probably get distracted and fly off, completely forgetting about Matt and Near.

It was around one in the morning when we finally found them. Near was on a swing in a run down park and Matt was playing handheld videogame, probably some version of Zelda. He owned them all.

I saw them first and pointed them out to Mello. He turned the car around and drove, illegally, straight through the park. Matt's head shot up as the head lights fell on him, then he must have assumed Mello was driving and started laughing and trying to get Near's attention. Near looked up when his sneakers kicked against the hood of the Subaru. He looked at the windshield, but it was tinted so he couldn't see me laughing at him.

Mello and I got out of the car and Mello snapped at Matt for getting lost. "You're the one who left us!" he yelled in defense, "Kai-chan, it's Mello's fault, honest!"

"Don't worry, Matt," I said while giggling, "I know it's Mello. It's always Mello."

"Hey!" Mello snapped.

"Why are you mad? Is it because she's right?" Near asked. Matt and I burst out laughing and slapped each other high-fives. Mello glared at all of us and told us to get in the car. We drove back in silence, Matt and I were too afraid to start making fun of Mello or praising Near. Mello drove back safely and we got back to my apartment nearly an hour later.

"Wait a minute," I asked, "are you guys gonna stay at my apartment?"

"You had a better idea?" Mello asked, not really mad anymore.

"I only have one bedroom!" I said. "There's nowhere for you guys to sleep."

"Matt can have the floor," Mello said. Matt yelled 'hey' in protest, but didn't argue much. "And I call the couch."

"Then where's Near going to sleep," I said, raising my eyebrow at Mello.

"He can sleep in this car for all I care," Mello said.

"No!" I snapped, "Mello, you and Matt get he floor. Near gets my couch."

"Why do I have to sleep on the floor?" Matt asked.

"Because Near's the youngest and I like him best." I said.

"I can take the floor," Near said.

"No, Near, just no. You deserve the couch and this is my apartment so my decision is final," I said. Matt laughed at me and Mello went back to glaring. Near just shrugged and walked inside.

When we got inside, I looked at the clock and noticed it was already 2:30. "Shit! I gotta get some sleep," I said and I rushed to my room. By now I had realized I was dead tired and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the mattress. They guys fought around a little, but they soon fell asleep as well.

The next morning I awoke with a start. I looked around, then realized my pants pocket was vibrating. I pulled out my cell phone and the small caller i.d. screen said 'Derek Morgan'. I flipped the phone open and Reid's voice came through. He started to ask me if I wanted to have a tour of D.C. I interrupted him, though, by asking, "Wait, Reid? Why are you on Morgan's phone?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. My cell phone is broken. Hey, did I wake you up? You sound like you've been sleeping."

"Yeah, I just woke up. What time is it?"

"It's almost noon, Ali."

"What? Really! Dammit," I said. I told Reid the tour would be fine, and he told me to meet him outside a library that was close to my apartment building. I said good-bye and he hung up. I gathered some clothes, a t-shirt for the band Three Days Grace and some blue jeans, and I ran towards my small bathroom. The boys were still sleeping, Near was on the couch, so I had to step around Mello and Matt to get to my bathroom. I took a quick shower and when I got out Matt had woken up.

"Hey, Kai-chan, what'cha doin'?" he asked. I told him about my trip to D.C. and told him to wake up the others. Why not? Knowing them, they'll me here for a while. I might as well introduce them to my team. I'll probably be calling them for help on cases from time to time anyway.

It took awhile to get Mello up, but Near got up as soon as I turned on my coffee maker and the beautiful scent of drink of the gods filled my apartment. I had to put a cup in front of Mello before he started to move. I love coffee, I really do. We all do. After each of us had had at least three cups, we headed for the streets.

Waiting outside the library were Reid and Morgan. I waved when I saw them and Reid waved back. Morgan looked confused. Probably because I had three guys following me. "Hey you two!" I called.

"Ali, who are these guys?" Morgan asked.

"Oh, sorry. They kinda followed me from Japan. They've been my friends since I was a kid, and they just got here, so they wanted a tour, too," I explained. "This is Mel-,"

"Miheal Keehl," Mello said. "And this is Mail Jeevas and Nate River." I looked up at Mello. Why are you using your real names? My face asked. Mello just shrugged. "We like to go by nicknames, it's something we grew up with. I'm Mello, Matt, and Near."

"Those are…interesting names," Reid said.

Matt started to laugh and said, "We're all from different parts of Europe. I'm Czechoslovakian, Mello's German, and Near's British."

"'Ello, Guv'na'," Near said. Matt and I burst out laughing. Mello just rolled his eyes and scoffed. Morgan and Reid were still confused.

"He almost never tries to be funny," I tried to explain.

"Um…right. Anyway, Ali, if they all go by nicknames, does that mean you do too?" Reid asked. I stopped laughing, finally, and looked at Mello. He nodded, telling me I should tell them. I was a bit confused, though. After the mess with Kira, I figured, Mello especially, would want to try extra hard to hide his true name. I made a mental note, which I'll probably completely forget about, to ask Mello later.

"Yeah, it was a thing we started back in the orphanage we grew up in. My name was Kaishi. My real name is… Kaekome Hitsuna." I explained. Reid nodded like he understood, but Morgan looked suspicious.

"So why hide it? And where did 'Alycia Kayne' come from?" he asked. I hesitated. I didn't want to tell them everything. I almost felt ashamed to admit it, but I just couldn't trust them. After Light's betrayal, I've felt it hard to trust anyone. But Mello wanted me to tell them my name, and I do trust him.

"'Alycia Kayne' is just the first name I could come up with. As for why I hid it, if people know you're real name, you become very easy to find. I know this sounds cryptic, but I used to live the kind of life where staying hidden means the difference between life and death. Back when I was in Japan, I went by the name Kaime Shinse. This name I got from the nickname.

"Um… if you don't mind, can we stop talking about this," I said. Morgan agreed, but he looked like he would ask later. Reid just seemed happy to get on with the tour, but something seemed off. He still wanted to ask me more as well.

We spent the rest of the day walking around the city. Reid enthusiastically showed me the best places to eat get coffee, and catch a movie. Morgan added detail here and there, but he obviously wasn't very interested anymore. As the sun started to set, Reid lead us to a small café and he all ordered coffee and burgers. As we ate, Matt drilled Reid about the best places to get video games and electronics.

"Wait, wait, wait," I said, "How long do you plan on staying here?"

"You want us to leave?" Mello asked, "I guess we could go back to Japan. Of course, we have nowhere to go anymore, since Watari's funding ran out. We could go to Roger, I guess, but…" Mello trailed off. I glared at him. 'Watari's funding' referred to the building he and L had built for the Kira case. Roger must not want anything to do with that. Typical Roger. And, of course, none of us wanted to get the hours long lecture Roger would no doubt give us for the years of trouble we caused him, followed by running away without a word of warning, nearly getting ourselves killed going after Kira, and not bothering to go back to see him in months.

"I get it," I said. "But get your own place. My apartment's way to small." Matt snickered. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I needed a bigger house. The rest of dinner went on without event. Once we were done Morgan offered to pay the tab. I tried to pay some, but he insisted. He confused me, I was fully convinced he didn't like me or my guys.

After dinner, Reid wishes us good night and he and Morgan left. Mello and the others walked me back to my apartment. On the way Near mentioned he noticed a black bird was following us. I looked up, but I didn't see a bird anywhere. I did, however, notice Matt leaning on Mello's shoulder.

"What's up with you two?" I asked. Matt giggled and Mello blushed. Wait. Mello…blushed? "Are you guys…together…or something?" Now Matt laughed and nodded. "AA-AH! Since when? Why wasn't I told of this?" I practically shouted.

"You might want to keep you're voice down, you are in the middle of D.C."

"Shut up, Near." I mumbled, "Well, answer me!"

"Um…" Matt thought, "I think, not long after you left, actually. C'mon, you had to know that this was coming."

"You still should have told me! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this!" I started laughing and walked the rest of the way home happier than I've been in a long time. I was happy for them, really. Matt walked home leaning on Mello again and Near started to lean on me. After a few minutes, I just picked up Near and carried him home. I know he's not a kid anymore, but I still can't help but treat him like one.

Not long after I started carrying him, I heard and felt his breathing slow as he fell asleep. Right before he did, he mentioned the black bird again. I looked around, but I still couldn't find the bird. Oh well, he's tired. Everyone sees things when they're about to fall asleep.

When we got to my apartment, I laid Near on the couch and Mello and Matt took the floor without complaining. I walked to my room and exchanged my jeans for some sweatpants. I would have fallen asleep as well, but Ryuk walked through me wall. "Hey there," he said. I glared at him and told him I was trying to fall asleep. He laughed at me and said I sleep too much. I just threw my pillow at him before falling asleep. The last thing I heard was him saying something about a black bird and apples.

That night, I dreamed about two nightingales flying through a storm. One got lost, and the other spent the rest of its life searching for it's mate. I woke up in the middle of the night with a tear rolling down my cheek.

Author's note: I planned this note before I planned the first one. Yes, Mello and Matt are together, of course they are Also, while Ryuk was away, he had quite the adventure in D.C. I'll upload that one-shot…probably in a few weeks. I have three stories going right now. This one, my FMA fan-fic, and one about a small-time gang in New York that may or may not experience a zombie apocalypse. I'm not sure yet.

Oh, one last thing I forgot to add in before. This fan-fic starts several months before Elle joins the BAU. In the show, she joined right after Gideon came back, but I don't like her, so I started things off a bit differently. Actually, she's barely going to be in this, mostly because she's annoying and I don't like her.