Graffiti chapter 14: Stripes by blackdragonflower

Disclaimers: Characters belong to Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata / Erin,Tsuki, and Bazzle belong to xxdemonchild / Other characters that don't belong to DN belong to me.

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Matt and Mello were finally getting unsuspended enough from their lockdown that they could go outside and enjoy recess. The two ran ahead of the other children needing to taste the fresh air before anyone else, and to run free for at least a little while. They pushed open the doors and stopped on the stairs fear pulsating through their hearts. "Why'd you stop?!"

"God move!" The children behind them began to shove but Matt and Mello wouldn't budge, they could only stare at the body on the lawn. A teacher came from behind the students.

"Why'd you... oh my word! Everyone back inside!" The young woman rushed all the children back inside but Mello ripped himself free from her grip when she tried pulling him inside. Matt broke out in a run and almost tripped down the stairs. "Matt!"

"Leave him alone... You wouldn't understand." The blonde growled and chased after the redhead. Matt fell to his knees by a young male's side. A male with black and green hair, piercings adorning his ears, and black clothes despite the neon green stripes that also were threaded into the shirt.

"Stripes..." Matt touched the young man's shoulder giving it a shake. "Stripes... You can't be dead... Don't die..." Matt's emerald eyes filled with tears. "Dammit Stripes! Don't die!" Matt cried on Stripes's chest the tears staining the bloody fabric. Mello stared down at the body and bit his lip.

"Fuck… There's no way…" Mello breathed out. It was a quick hiss from between his lips.

There was the sound of a strangled groan. "Ow… Can't… breathe…"

Matt lifted his head a wide smile faintly appearing. "Stripes…"

"Thank God he's alive… but if he doesn't get medial attention he won't be for long."

Stripes opened on eye weakly as far as he could. He couldn't see much due to the swelling of the tissue. "... Matt...? Mello...?" Stripes hacked up some blood and Matt quickly wiped it with his own sleeve.

"We're right here! Don't die on us Stripes..." The blonde ordered. "Don't you dare die yet." Stripes grinned lopsided. There was a bright light, it was warm and he wanted to go to it, but the boy's voice next to him made him hesitate, it sounded so familiar, the authority. The light faded then vanished. His eye slid shut again, it took too much energy to keep it open, energy he didn't have. "Matt he needs medical attention now!"

"I know... but..."

"Matt! Mello! Get away from there!"

The boys looked over their shoulders. Mello snarled and whipped his head around back to Stripes ignoring Roger. Matt warily tore his eyes from Roger and back to his brother-like figure. The old man groaned as he ran (as fast as he could) over to the body on the lawn as well as the two boys accompanying it. Matt was gently holding Stripes's hand tears leaking silently down his face. Mello was checking Stripes's pulse, and was satisfied to find it still there, even if faint.

"Matt... Mello... who is this man?"

"A friend..." Mello muttered. "Did you call an ambulance?"

"Why... yes of course." Roger stuttered surprised at Mello's tone. "It's on its way now."

"Good."

"Mello... I need to know exactly who this is!" The old man ordered.

"Does it really matter? I know him, Matt knows 'em. He needs medical attention. Please make yourself useful and get some clean rags or something. If he keeps bleeding all over the place he'll die before the ambulance even gets here." The blonde child was putting pressure on Stripes's arm trying to keep the artery from gushing out more and more blood. "Don't just stand there Roger!" Mello snapped angrily.

It seemed like hell waiting for the ambulance. Matt was talking to the unconscious Stripes talking about whatever. Mello was wrapping towels tightly around many of the wounds cussing as he went along. He got the redhead to help with some of the more difficult wounds. Then the ambulance pulled into the gate and both boys turned to it. To them the ambulance looked like a hearse waiting to take Stripes away, dead.

The medics rushed out and took care of the body. "Who's coming with us?"

"The two boys." The medic looked a little hesitant but said nothing.

"Alright. Hurry up boys and get in." Matt and Mello climbed into the back with Stripes silent.

"Mello behave yourself. I'll be following behind shortly." Roger warned.

"Yeah yeah." Mello muttered underneath his breath. "Behave... sure." The redhead was strangely mute now, only holding tightly onto Stripes's hand. Mello stared at Stripes then at his best friend. He knew the gamer was taking it much harder than he was. Mello reached out and took Matt's free hand giving it a reassuring squeeze. "He'll be okay Matt. Don't worry."

The medic took a quick look at the two boys and could see there were many things they hid beneath their skin. Suffering, loss, misery, all tucked away in those endless blue and emerald eyes. She'd never seen such sad looking eyes in the living, dead, or nearly dead. Their outer appearances were worst for the wear too. She just faintly spotted the stitches behind the blonde's ear along with a couple bruises that matched the bruises on his friend. Out of the two the redhead looked more broken. Just from looking at them the medic knew these two children had been immersed in a world of pain most could not even begin to understand.

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At the hospital

"What's his name?"

"Nathan..." Mello spoke.

"Last name?"

"..." The blonde inwardly groaned. He only knew Stripes's first name, he'd never been told his last name.

"Last name?" The nurse pressed.

"Jeevas." Matt piped up to the male nurse.

"Nathan Jeevas? Please spell."

"N-a-t-h-a-n J-e-e-v-a-s. Nathan Jeevas." Mello was surprised at how well Matt seemed to be taking this. He hadn't cried since the initial finding of the body.

"And what's your relationship to the patient?"

"... He's my brother." Matt spoke holding Mello's hand. Mello really didn't want to be holding Matt's hand but his friend needed the support so he was sacrificing his pride.

"A close friend." Mello muttered.

"Okay. Your name." The nurse -whose nametag read Ryan- pointed with the tip of his pen.

"Mail Jeevas. M-a-i-l J-e-e-v-a-s."

"And you are?"

"Mello."

"...? Real name please."

Mello grumbled thinking quickly and off the top of his head. "Michael Rhodes. Need me to spell it?"

"No. I think I've got it."

"Good." Mello's eyes narrowed. He hated hospitals with all their questions and the so-sanitary-it-makes-you-want-to-retch smell. Plus all the clean white made him shiver. It was cold and distant, as if the doctors and the other employees didn't want anything to do with their patients. White the color of death. What a fitting color for a place.

"Hey Matt... I'm gonna go outside... and call A.L. Think you'll be okay by yourself for a few moments?" The redhead shook his head. "Fine then. Let's hurry up. We don't want to miss anything they find out about Stripes."

"Yeah." The two boys hurried outside and Mello pulled the cell phone Dante had given to him from his pocket. He punched in the number quickly cussing at each time the phone rang.

"Yo!"

"Don't yo me Dante..." Mello growled. "Fucking Stripes just appeared on Wammy's front lawn almost dead."

"But how? We didn't get any word from our informants..."

"I don't care how it happened or didn't happen. Stripes is at the hospital. Get your ass over here right away. I don't know how long me and Matt can keep the nurses at bay."

"Seraph is coming over. Hang tight kids!"

The line clicked and Mello shoved the cell in his pocket. "Dammit. What the hell is going on?!"

"Let's go back inside." Matt muttered quietly. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up as if someone was watching them. The blonde noticed Matt's apprehension to their surroundings. The two returned to the waiting room and took seats next to each other.

'Please be alright Stripes... Please.' The redhead's eyes became focused on a girl and a young adult not too far from where they were sitting. The girl had her knees curled up to her chest and a pair of headphones on her ears. Her head was leaned against a young man's shoulder. The elder looked down at her with warm blue eyes his red and black hair messy.

"Do you think she'll be alright Bazzle?"

"I don't know..."

"Why'd she have to do those things... Why'd she do that fucking crap! I told her dope and crank would kill her but she does it anyways!" The man gently put his cheek against the top of her hair closing his eyes.

"I don't know why she does it. But she'll be okay."

The girl in all black, some Lolita style clothing shook her head. "I don't know if I can believe that anymore Bazzle..."

"Hey Matt... That was some quick thinking back there with Stripes's last name."

"Huh?" Matt snapped from his thoughts. "Oh... thanks."

"What're you thinking about?" Blue eyes probed into the gamer.

"Stripes... that girl over there... stuff."

Mello's eyes followed Matt's gaze to the girl in the chair beside her male companion. "Yeah? What about that girl?"

"She's hurting for her friend too."

Mello took a deep breath then let it go. "Matt... someone will always be hurting. It's just the way this world works. It's sad. Don't think about too much or you'll never find a reason to smile." The blonde let the redhead's hand go and gave his cheek an affectionate pinch. "Smile. Smile to prove them wrong and tell them you can be happy and you don't give a damn about what they say is possible or not possible."

"...Mello..."

"Stripes is going to live. Don't tell yourself anything different right now. He needs our support, not our doubts. So smile. I'm sure he'd be crying if he knew you were so depressed."

Matt weakly smiled. "How do you... remain so strong?"

"Strong? What's that?" Mello huffed kicking his legs back and forth. "I'm not strong... not at all."

"But... you haven't cried."

"What's wrong with crying? I've cried. I cried when my mother died and I didn't have anyone left. I cried on the inside every day since she passed away and I found her in that damn alley. I wanted to cry when I lost you, and now when I'm losing Stripes. I don't want to cry, but that's me... it's who I am. You... are not weak if you cry Matt. What makes crying seem weak is what you're crying for. You're not blubbering over a lost toy or something, you're crying over people you care about. You're not weak Matt. Never let anyone tell you different."

Matt smiled. "You're really something Mello... Don't you let anyone ever tell you different."

Hello blackdragonflower here! Yes, Stripes has been found only to be mostly dead. I'm so cruel TT Hospitals... shiver Hopefully there will be something to cheer poor Matt-kun up soon neh? I've made his life a depressing hell so far! Shame on me. Oh, yes, someone asked me I don't remember who so I'll be going through the reviews to see if I'll write a sequel to this. The answer is no, because I plan for it to run up into the Kira case and the actual series. I planned for this to be a prequel to the actual Death Note series. -

Is Mello getting OOC or Matt? Is Stripes getting Gary Stu? It's starting to bother me that they might be and if they are I'd like to know. Erin, Tsuki, and Bazzle were added by request of xxdemonchild since I owe her many favors and she asked for some cameo appearances. Tee hee.

Thanks for reviews, watches, and favs! I always appreciate them!

blackdragonflower

PS: I love honesty about my stories, even if it is somewhat brutal. That however does not mean flaming!!