The Challenger

Chapter One: Rainy Days

It was raining hard when Roger put the phone down that early morning. He recalled the conversation he had just had. He sighed thinking back.

"Watari I can not do this to him," Roger said in a stern voice. "Roger there is no one else, it's too risky. We need you to take on this responsibility. L said there is no one else he can trust". Roger sighed, "Fine".

Roger looked over at the clock hanging on his office wall. "Time to go," he said to himself. It was early no one was up. He wrote a note saying where he was going and why. He then drove off into the cold rainy morning.

Mello was growing impatience as he waited for Matt to finish off in the bathroom. "Hurry up Matt!" he yelled as he banged on the door of Matt's shower.

He then turned and lent back against the wall. He herd someone come into the room and looked up only to see Near standing there. Mello glared and looked back at the ground.

The small, pale, white-haired boy just walked up to the nearest sink and began washing something in it. Mello over and saw Near rinsing out a cup.

"We do have a kitchen idiot," Mello thought just as Matt walked out of the shower.

His hair was wet and looked a dark shade of red. The two left the bathroom and headed back to their own room. Wammy's house was quiet that morning the hallways were deserted and an eerie silence fell upon them.

When they reached their room they put their things away and went to the dinning hall. The walk there too was very quiet.

Once in the dinning hall the regular talkative nature of Wammy's seemed to overtake the quiet morning. Mello and Matt sat at their table eating breakfast.

"Matt," Matt looked up at Mello. "Yeah," he said shoveling another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Why is it so quiet this morning?" Matt looked at him strangely.

"It's been quiet?" Matt asked confused. "Think Matt the hallways were practically deserted it's Saturday morning and the hallways are deserted.

They don't seem to go," said Mello. Matt thought about it carefully for a few seconds then nodded. "It has been pretty quiet, I'll go ask Linda if she knows why," he said as he got up.

Linda was the orphanages official gossip magazine, though she wasn't a magazine. Matt walked up to where Linda and her friends sat. "Hi Matt what's up?" she asked in a high, perky tone.

"Ah not much Linda. Do you know why Wammy's is so quiet?" he asked. She smiled "Oh yes Roger left real early this morning to go pick up a new kid," she said still smiling.

"A new kid?" Matt thought "Mello isn't going to like this". "Okay thanks," he said then walked off to tell Mello.

When he sat back down and had made himself comfortable he told Mello the news "Roger has gone to get a new kid". "A new kid," said Mello. "The last time Roger went to get a new kid Near showed up, not to mention when he picked me up," Mello thought to himself.

"Is this 'new kid' really that important?" He was distracted from his thoughts when a boy ran into the dining hall yelling "Rogers back! Rogers back!"

The hall immediately was filled with kids darting off to meet this 'new kid'. When someone new arrived at Wammy's it was like when you drop water on an ant's mound.

New kids were like new toys. Everyone wanted to have the first play. To some new kids were a new challenge, a new mystery. They wanted to know who they were, where they came from, how they got here and more.

To others they were a chance to make a new friend, to add to their ongoing group that got larger by the day.

To Mello they were a nuisance they got welcomed like heroes and most of them were weird or idiots. The large group of kids surround a frantic Roger and the figure next to him.

Mello didn't move closer to get a better look, he didn't care.

Instead he looked around he was surprised by what he saw. In the corner stood Near. Near too didn't care much for new arrivals he was normally in his room or sitting somewhere stacking things.

But today he was here trying to see to get a glimpse of this newbie. Near looked at the group of children without success.

They were tightly packed together and he would have to climb on something in order to see. "Quiet!" yelled Roger the group quieted down.

"I would like to introduce our latest's arrival at Wammy's Shadow," he said gesturing to the figure beside him.

"Now Shadow has had a long journey and she would like some rest," he said as the children began to step aside.

Mello watched as the two made their way through the crowd. Just as they passed him the figure turned it's hooded head and looked at him.

Mello didn't see her face but he did see her eyes however. Two pale blue eyes which just stared at him. When the two had walked past Mello looked over to where Near was.

He had disappeared. Mello and Matt went back to their room only to be surprised when they saw Roger standing outside their door.

"Mello, Matt," he greeted " Shadow is staying in the room next door I told her to come to you two if she needs anything okay?" Mello looked over to where the door was.

"Okay Roger," said Matt he then dragged Mello into their room. "So she is next door," muttered Matt. He smiled to himself then planted himself against the wall.

"Matt what are you doing?" asked Mello. "shh I am listening," Matt replied he then grabbed Mello's wrist and pushed him against the wall.

At first there was nothing then they heard a Linkin Park song playing. Mello pulled Matt and himself off of the wall "Matt this is stupid, besides I hat Linkin park".

The two boys went about their usual Saturday business. Matt played his games while Mello studied. "Hey Mello I wonder why that girl Shadow is here.

You know I wonder if she is hot?" Matt said as he attempted to kill a crazy, rampaging dinosaur. "Shut up Matt I'm studying," growled Mello.

"You know she could look like one of those models you see in those magazines," said Matt as he began to think about those models.

"Or she could just be really ugly like Linda and half the girls here," grumbled Mello. Matt turned around so he was facing Mello.

"So I guess your going to go see?" said Matt. "No Matt I am going to study for my biology test," replied Mello irritability.

"Fine then I guess I will go see and if she is hot I guess that means I get her," he mumbled. Mello shook his head.

"Matt I know what you're trying to do and it isn't going to work". "What am I trying to do?" asked Matt innocently.

"You want me to go over there waist the whole afternoon getting to know her just because your to shy to do it yourself," muttered Mello.

Matt rolled his eyes "Whatevs I'm going downstairs," and Matt got up and left the room.

As Matt walked past the door where Shadow was he looked at it cautiously. He paused and considered knocking. But then changed his mind.

He went to the common room to see if anything interesting was going on. When he walked in it was quiet as normal. He then noticed someone in the corner. Shadow.

"Okay Matty be cool just go up and ask her her name," Matt said to himself. He walked over to where she was. She still had her hood on and didn't move.

Matt walked toward the lounge which she sat on but the turned and walked over to a different lounge.

He got up and tried again. As he was about to ask her name a voice said "What the hell are you doing?" Matt was surprised at first then realized it had come from Shadow.

"Ahh," he said "Who are and what do you want?" she demanded.

"I am Matt hi nice to meet you," he said awkwardly. "Well then Matt," she said his name in a sour tone " can you please get lost".

"Hey at least she said please, "Matt thought to himself. "Why you look kind of lonely," he answered.

"Listen here smartass go take a hike cause I really don't care who you are or why you're here or what the best thing to do is, and I don't wanna' join your lil'' group or be your best friend.

In other words I'm not interested so get lost!" she yelled. "She reminds me of Mello," he thought. "Okay nice meeting you," he said and turned to walk off just as Mello walked into the room.

"Matt there you are!" he yelled "When you said you're going downstairs I presumed you wouldn't be this long!"

At that moment Shadow got up and yelled "will you get lost it was nice and quiet in here before you two idiots came!" Mello glared at her.

"Don't speak to me like that newbie," he threatened. "Oh what are you going to do about it huh, shoot me see if I care," she replied in a mocking tone.

"You know you really need to screw your head on the right way, or one day it's going to get punched in!" Mello warned. "Be my guest you can't lay a hand on me," she sneered.

Mello glared at her she just looked him straight in the eye. "Mello lets go," said Matt as he pulled his friend away.

"Yeah that's right walk off with your lil' boyfriend," she said, that did it. Mello turned around in an attempt to hit her but she merely leaned backwards and his fist passed over her face.

"You suck," she commented and Mello ran at her, Matt tried to grab him but failed. "Mello wait you can't hit a girl!" he yelled.

Mello grabbed Shadows wrist and pinned her against a wall. "It's clear who is stronger in this situation," he said glaring at her.

"Let's see what the little smartass really looks like," and Mello reached up and pulled the hood off of her head.

Long white strands of hair tumbled down onto her shoulders. She opened her closed eyes to revel their pale, ocean blue colour.

Mello let go of her wrist, Matt's mouth dropped open. The children in the room stared at her. At that moment Roger ran into the room.

A young child had gone to get him when Mello and Shadow started fighting. "Mello!" he yelled but was too was shocked. "You- you," stuttered Matt, "You look so much like Near," finished Mello.

It was true Shadow looked more then 'so much' like Near. They were almost identical. Her eyes were a much lighter blue then Nears, which didn't even look blue.

Her hair was long it came down past her shoulder's almost waist length but at the moment it rested on top of them.

She glared at Mello her eyes piercing through him. A loud bang! Sounded and everyone looked to where it had come from.

Near stood there his eyes wide at the sight of Shadow. Did he know she looked so much like him? It was like he was staring in mirror.

"S-Shadow," he whispered. She shoved past Mello and Roger and walked out of the room. Near looked at the ground "how," was all he said before turning and running out of the room too.

"Near I am so sorry," Roger called after Near he to then ran out. Mello couldn't believe what he had just seen. "Near and Shadow who are they?" he thought.

Mello turned and left the room he walked in the opposite direction he normally did to go to his room. But he wasn't going to his room. He had to speak with Near.

He knocked hard on Near's door. Near opened the door a tiny bit. "Hello Mello, what may I help you with" he asked in his usual voice.

"Near I need to talk to you about what just happened, let me in," ordered Mello. Near hesitated then opened the door. Mello walked into his room it was plain and tidy, nothing like his and Matt's.

"Near do you know this girl? Why does she look so much like you?" Near sat down in his usual position with his knee up against his chest.

" Mello I do know Shadow," he hesitated at her name " and I know it came as a shock to all how much she looks like me," he answered. "Who is she Near? How do you know her? Why is she here? Near what the hell is going on, it's like looking at you in a mirror though with long hair!" Mello was stressed he began pacing back and forth.

"Mello I will answer all your questions I suppose I can't hide the truth any more now that she is here. Please sit down your pacing is making me dizzy".

Mello did as he was told and listened. "Shadow and I have know each other for a long time, though we are not close.

Frankly she is the only person I really and truly dislike. Or as you would say hate". Mello was surprised Near could actually feel hatred? "Shadow is my sister Mello," Near said in a quiet tone as if he was embarrassed to be related to her.

Mello's eyes widened "Of course that will explain the resemblance," he thought. "But then why didn't she come to Wammy's with Near? And if she is related does that mean she is smart like him too? Would she be able to surpass me?"

Okay first chapter to my story YAY! If I get a few reviews on this one I will keep updating if not then I don't really se why I should. So TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Anyways I don't own Death Note (too bad, if I did then Kira would have had a way more painful death, I would of made the anime series longer and Matt, Mello and L wouldn't be dead they'd all live happily ever after!!! Oh plus I would put Beyond Birthday in the anime) But I do own my character Shadow *dramatic music * I really have no idea why I related her to near (it's cause of the hair, Near has mad hair!! It's white so rebel) but anyways review if u likey then say so and I will update soon kk. Cyaz