Stripes

Chapter 3: Lockdown

Ice-Puppet

Warnings: Matt is a little OOC in this chapter.

Mello awoke late during the night. It took him a few moments to realize that Near wasn't there. This wasn't alarming – Near often awoke from nightmares and would leave the room without a word. He never woke Mello, never spoke of them, and always returned before the sun came up.

Mello never asked about the nightmares. Near probably thought he didn't care, but the truth was quite the opposite – Mello cared, had cared for the past three years. Yes, he was jealous that Near always bested him, but in truth most of his anger was an act to hide his feelings. He was convinced that Near, the boy of no emotion, would turn him away the instant he found out. It never occurred to him to try, so he continued to pick on and be angry toward the other.

For some reason, his curiosity began to get the better of him. What if Near was crying somewhere and he needed comforting? Or worse, what if he was hurt or something? With a sigh, Mello rose from the bed and stepped into the hallway.

He noticed the playroom door open, and began to walk toward it. It made sense – the playroom was Near's sanctuary, if he was upset he would go and hide in it.

Walking down the hallway, Mello mused silently to himself. Matt, for some strange reason, had returned to his daily routine – game boy twenty-four seven. It had been almost three weeks since their fight over Near, and his obsession with the albino seemed to have passed without a word, much like the obsessions before hand. He supposed he shouldn't have been shocked – Matt had what was called Borderline Personality Disorder, a mental issue where he would change to such extremes as liking someone one day and hating them the next. He wasn't that severe a case, but he did change obsessions once or twice every few weeks. It was hard to keep up with him sometimes, but Mello usually let it roll off his back.

He was silently glad Near was like the other obsessions. To have his best friend date his secret crush was something Mello would not take lightly to.

Approaching the playroom, Mello swallowed his nerve. For the first time since their sharing a room, he would ask Near about his nightmares… for the first time, he'd be nice to Near… for the first time…

Mello covered his mouth to hold back a scream and turned away from the playroom, eyes wide. Even though it was dark in there, he knew those two figures as well as the back of his hand.

Matt and Near were both laying on the playroom floor, curled in each other's arms. Near appeared to be fast asleep, while Matt was running his fingers through Near's hair slowly, a smile on his face.

Choking back a small sob, the blonde ran back to his room, full-speed.

--

Raito was surprised when L's cell phone began ringing at ten AM. He was even more surprised when L checked the ID and quickly picked it up.

"Hello?" He questioned. Raito blinked in surprise. That was the first time L had answered a phone without using, "L." He listened closely, barely making out the sound of someone on the other end sobbing. "No, no," L tried to sooth the person on the other line. "Don't apologize. If you called, it's something important." He glanced at the clock on the wall, nearly hissing. "Its 1 am there, what are you doing up?"

Raito did a quick mental check in his head. 1 am… he was most likely speaking to someone in England, considering he was speaking English. Thankfully, Raito had mastered the language long ago.

"Okay, tell me what happened," L continued to sooth. He was speaking lightly, in a voice one might talk to a crying child in. He listened for a long while, giving little 'uh-huh's and 'yeah-huh's to keep the other person talking. After a bit he sighed. "Do you want me to tell R?"

Raito noticed instantly the use of the first letter in the man's name. Always careful, even when soothing. That was L, alright.

"Alright," L concluded. "I will take care of it, I promise. Try to calm down and go back to sleep. I'll make sure they don't know it's you, alright? Good. Sweet dreams."

He hung up the phone and turned to the screen before him, biting his thumb tip. "From all of the evidence before us," he began, his voice a strong sense of changing the subject. "We can safely conclude that the first and second Kira have met…"

Raito turned him out, wondering who was on the phone. It was obviously a child… did that mean that L had a family, and possibly children? Raito thought over this, wondering if this knowledge would eventually hinder him from taking L's life.

--

"I don't understand!" Matt protested, struggling in Roger's grip, not caring much if he made a scene. "This is stupid! Why are you doing this to us!?"

"You were spotted last night," Roger hissed, noting how Near blushed and looked down. "This relationship is unhealthy, especially for your age! I called L myself and he told me to separate you two immediately."

"We can't even go to class!?" Matt cried, his eyes moving to Near. Kids were standing in the hallway, staring at them, whispering to themselves.

"L specifically ordered a no-contact between the two of you for the next four weeks," Roger informed, his voice blaring order. "You will not leave your rooms, save for food and bathroom times. You will be allowed visitors, but never each other. Am I understood?"

Matt bit his lip. No one else saw it, but his heart broke when a tear rolled down Near's cheek. "Why would L do this to us?" he breathed in question, not expecting an answer.

"L knows what is best," Roger informed. "Now return to your room."

Head down, Matt turned and stalked into his dorm. He made a big show of slamming the door shut, before crashes were heard. Mello winced at the sounds – he was throwing his games around, having a huge fit. It was so unlike Matt that his heart wanted to break.

"Near," Roger breathed, turning to the white haired boy.

Near took a deep breath. He appeared as if he wanted to say something, but after thinking a moment he held his breath. Shaking slightly, he turned and entered his own room, closing the door behind him.

Roger sighed, before looking toward all of the students in the hallway. "All of you, to your classes," he stated. With his head held high, he turned to leave.

Most of the kids filed away until Mello and Jay were left. Jay crossed his arms and sneered at Matt's door, the disgust obvious in his voice. "Great, not only do I have to room with a fag, but he's fagging with Near!"

He stumbled back in surprise when Mello punched him across the face.

"Don't ever make fun of my best friend or Near again," he growled.

"You're a fag too, aren't you!?" Jay squealed.

"Just shut the hell up and go to class!" Mello barked.

One Jay had gone, he took a deep sigh and knocked on Matt's door.

Matt threw open the door and fixed Mello with the nastiest glare he had ever seen on a person. "You." He hissed the word like poison. "How dare you come here after what you did!"

"Matt?" Mello squeaked, eyes widening.

"We're not stupid, Mello!" Matt growled, his grip on the door handle tightening. "We know you're the one that saw us. Its not like we're blind, you know. We both saw you in the doorway." His body started shaking, and Mello took a step back. He had never seen Matt angry… Matt was always laid back, happy, and carefree. But this Matt… this Matt scared him. He looked ready to pounce and kill without a care. "I didn't think you were this low, Mello. You called L and stuck him on us. Now, not only have you ripped us apart, but you've ripped apart Near's faith in the one person he trusts the most."

He took another step back when Matt took a step forward. He locked his angry eyes with Mello and spat out, "I swear to god, Mello, if you even breathe on my door anytime during these next four weeks, I will kill you."

The door slammed in his face seconds later, and Mello was left wondering why things had turned out this way.

He approached his own bedroom, head down and heart broken. A sound in the air, unlike any other, stopped him instantly. Outside of his own door, he could hear it best.

Near was… crying?

Slowly, Mello turned the knob and entered his room. It was shocking to see, but there it was. Near was curled up in the corner of his bed, knees pulled to his chest, sobbing softly.

"Near…?" He questioned, unsure of what else to say.

"You win," Near sniffled, raising his narrowed eyes to shoot a glare at Mello, the coldness in his eyes worse then the lack of emotion he had always had before. "Don't look so shocked. Isn't that what you wanted, Mello? You beat me, okay? I'm down and broken. You can have L, you can have your top scores, you can have everything."

"That's…" Mello swallowed. "That's not what I wanted, Near…"

"Then why?" Near's voice raised, his fingers gripping at his pant legs tightly. "Why would you do this to me!? To us!?"

"Us?" Mello breathed, eyes widening.

"I never knew you were this low, Mello," Near whispered, letting his head drop again. "To use your best friend in order to break your enemy."

"I didn't want that!" Mello protested, voice cracking. "I… I just…"

Near turned away, shutting him out.

Mello frowned, biting his lip. He let the hardest words he had ever had to say fall from his lips. He had to know. "Do you love him?"

"Most would say I'm not old enough to know love," Near droned back, his voice emotionless once more.

"Do you love him?" Mello repeated, feeling his heart break.

Near paused only a moment before he let out a ghost of a whisper. "Yes."

--

Raito paused, taking a moment to stare blankly at the computer screen in front of him.

"L is dead," his mind told him. The voice was neither happy, nor sad. It was blank, emotionless, unfeeling.

"You should be the new L!" Matsuda had told him, trying to make right of the wrong laid before them. But Raito could not be L… to be L, he would have to know who L was. He would have to know about his life, his home, his family… he would have to know who that boy on the phone was, the one that L comforted. He would have to know who R was, who L made a call to.

He would have to know why L heard the bells on the day he died, in the silent rain.

--

Roger checked the cell phone before him for the hundredth time. Still, the three words did not change. With a forced breath of air, he stood.

"Hey Near, why don't you come outside?" A soft, female voice spoke into the playroom.

"Give it up, Linda," another voice, a male, responded to her. "He'll never come outside."

Roger watched the kid's pile past him, grabbing hold of the arm of one of the tallest boy's there. "Mello," he breathed, before glancing into the playroom. "And Near. Come with me."

Near stood, lifting up his nearly finished puzzle and following Roger. He and Mello both did not speak, nor did they look at each other.

"What is it, Roger?" Mello asked as Near crouched before the large desk to finish his puzzle.

The man's eyes closed. Saying the three words to these two orphans would be the hardest thing he had ever done. Crushing their hopes and dreams. Destroying their lives.

"L is dead."

Near's grip tightened. He looked to the puzzle before him. Completely white, save for a single letter in the top left corner. L. Three more pieces it needed, and it would be complete. Three more pieces, and the man he hoped to become would be before him.

With a sigh, he lifted the puzzle and turned it upside-down, destroying it in an incomplete mess.

"Why?" Mello breathed, eyes wide. Roger merely shook his head. "D-did… did he say…?"

"No," Roger informed, closing his eyes and sighing.

Just as Mello was about to say something, Near stood and approached him. He held out his hand, locking eyes with the blonde's as Mello did the same.

"Go," Near told him, dropping three puzzle pieces into Mello's hand.

"Near?" Mello breathed, gaping at the albino boy.

"I already told you," Near deadpanned, his eyes empty. "You won." He brushed past Mello and left the room, the destroyed puzzle in a pile on the floor.

--

Matt was on the end of his bed, beating the last boss in Super Smash Brothers when Mello knocked lightly. The redhead didn't look up, his eyes narrowing.

"What did I tell you about my door?" He hissed.

"You guys aren't locked up anymore," Mello whispered. "So why is Near so sad?"

Matt sighed, unhappy that Mello was ignoring his demand. Placing the controller down as the last boss exploded, he turned to Mello. "Because," he began. "If we continued our 'unhealthy' relationship, it would simply result in more calls to L, and more time locked up. So," he turned back to the game as the ending credits rolled. "In order to save us both the abuse, I simply told him that I had seen the error of my ways and I was no longer in love with him."

Mello's mouth dropped. Was Matt… serious? From the blank look in those usually fiery eyes, he knew.

"L is dead," Mello breathed.

Matt's eyes snapped to him. "You, or Near?"

"Neither," Mello responded. "Near… gave me the title."

"I suppose you want congratulations?"

Mello shook his head. "Matt… I never meant to mess up your life. I didn't know it was going to turn out this way."

Matt snorted, turning back to the game. "Mello, if you liked Near that much, you should have taken the chance when you had it. When you didn't get what you wanted, you should have ended it there."

Mello hung his head, closing his eyes tightly. After a moment, he did what he had come there to do. "I want you to come with me, and help me with the case."

"I can't believe you have the balls to ask me that," Matt deadpanned, staring at Mello intensely.

"You may hate me for what I did," Mello breathed. "But I still see you as my best friend."

After a moment of silence, Matt replied. "One condition."

"Anything," Mello responded automatically.

"You help me find Near's father."

To be continued

Next chapter: Near's father is revealed!