Author's Note- Sorry for the delay of the chapter. I've had exams and everything.

L: You should know how important it is to keep on top of your work.

Me: Exactly -.- Anyway sorry if the chapter isn't as good- I sort of rushed it. My Trick or Treat poll is still up if you want to check it out :)

Grey's P.O.V

I threw my arms back and forth trying to release the abnormally strong grip Light had upon me. I remember his smile only growing more menacing as I continued to struggle. I remember the excruciating pain in my chest growing more intense by the second.

And I remember telling myself: I'm going to live.

And then I woke up in a cold sweat.

My eyes were blurred; my head ached terribly and- yet the ache that had overpowered me just moments before had disappeared.. Was it… Was it just a dream? The covers crinkled as I sat my self upright turning on the small lamp on my wooden bedside table. I looked over to the clock on the wall: 11:00pm. An hour's sleep at most. I suppose I might as well stay up. I thought to myself. L's voice echoed through the plastered walls: "-Grey!-" he yelled in distress.

"Sweet Jesus!" I toppled sideways out of my bed knotted in my fluffy covers. "Yes?"

Silence.

I chewed nervously on my lip under the ball of purple covers I had shielded myself in. The sharpness of L's voice made my blood run cold. There was something seriously wrong for him to shout like that.

Maybe I was the one in the wrong.

"-… I need to speak with you regarding your identity.-" he beckoned me in a softer tone of voice. I nodded heaving the covers off of me and hurling them onto my bed.

As sudden as his demands were, I accepted them with grace. Sometime or later, he was going to figure out who I was. He was L: world's greatest detective- could I really be expected to sneak passed him without getting caught. Then again, I wanted him to find out who I was, right? But what would be the consequences of him finding out my real identity? I anticipated his reaction patiently knowing that only the worse could come from what I had done.

I walked in hastily to see L stood up his shackles hanging loosely from his thin wrists. He bluntly stared into me- observing every inch of my face. "You wanted me?" I asked anxiously avoiding the concerned look the Task Force seemed to be wearing.

"Yes, Grey." he mumbled rudely yanking Light forward with his chain. "I believe I am now aware of who you are, your background, your past…" Matsuda gently pushed me forward into L who reached his hand out towards my face. I flinched- direct contact wasn't something I was too fond of in a situation as delicate as this one. "Although I am aware of who you are…" he continued on. "I want to know how you are."

"I'm sure she's fine, Ryuzaki!" Matsuda looked dumbfounded at the raven haired man. Soichiro sighed exasperatedly and pulled Matsuda aside.

"I'm sure Grey knows what I mean." L frowned. "Correct?"

"It's not important…" I said timidly. "All that matters is that I'm here to provide you with my abilities, Ryuzaki…" He shook his head.

"It may not be important to the case, but it's important to me. So I shall ask of a later date." A glint of hope twinkled in the young man's eyes as he gazed ponderously into my own. "Task Force, meet S." he smiled faintly bestowing me to our colleagues. "However, you are to call her by her alias as you do with me."

"So Grey?" Aizawa said.

"No." I replied kindly. "That's more of an alias of my alias- like Ryuuga is for Ryuzaki. You may call me Shadow- nice to meet you again…"

Winchester: Wammy's House

Hope's P.O.V

"Is that the last of it?" Matt sighed wiping his forehead after setting one of the few boxes I owned on his wooden floors. I nodded and smiled graciously at him. He smirked craftily at me as I gazed dreamily out of his frosted windows.

It was quite a spectacular view for an orphanage- the woods just outside the building framed the sunset perfectly even during the harsh and cold winter weather. Snow landed gently on the blanket it had formed on the ground remaining untouched by the anti-social orphans- such as myself- that remained inside. And it saddened me.

Children weren't supposed to act mature. Children weren't supposed to be polite or sit indoors for the little time they had to be achild. So why were the children so reluctant to acting their age? That was the reason I adored Matt so.

I didn't hold any passionate feelings towards the older boy. But his free-spirited personality and childish obsession for computer games could even purify my corrupted soul. Mello, on the other hand, worried about letting his inner child peek through. He did, however, sulk and hold grudges towards a few dozen of the students at Wammy's.

But all I urged for in this morbid household was for one child to pick up a toy.

"Hope?" I flinched. My thoughts interrupted by Matt's large hand waving in front of my face.

"Huh? What?" I mumbled.

"I said would you like to go meet some of the other children?"

"No." I frowned. "I'd rather just talk to you all day…"

"That's cute- but you can't just sit with me all day everyday- as much as I would like that…" a faint pink coloured flushed his face. "You have to be a little more social if you want to leave this place with your sanity. So please?"

"Alright…" I resigned picking up my cat, Van Gogh, and passing him to the redheaded gamer-freak. "Can we bring Van?"

"Erm ok…"

"Thanks." I smiled making my way to the bedroom door and drifted through empty corridors eventually losing sight of Matt and my sense of direction. Almost silent footsteps could be heard in one of the rooms a few doors down. Curious to see who it was, I quietly creaked open the door to see who was inside. A crowd of 4 or 5 children graced me each smiling eagerly.

"Good afternoon!" The I knew famously as Linda cut her hand through the children holding it in front of me. "I'm Linda- but you can call me L if you like!"

"In your dreams, Linda." A familiar voice spouted. "You'll never be the next L- that'll be me if anyone…"

"Hello Mello…" I shyly greeted him. Ignoring me, he stuck a free hand deep into the small compartments on his cameo shoulder bag. In his hand he held a rectangular shape wrapped in a shiny foil.

His slender fingers slowly ripped the foil away piece by piece until the chocolate underneath was revealed. Chocolate… Naked chocolate.

Yum…

Mello watched me from the corner of his narrow eyes smiling devilishly. My eyes locked onto the chocolate as he wafted it from side to side playfully. "Want a bite?" he droned bringing it closer to my face. I nodded leaning forward to chomp down on the bar. "Tough!"

"What?" I fluttered my eyes as he snatched the bar back into his personal bubble. "You tease!" I smiled leaning in to grab the bar. He hung his arm high in the air and joked around whilst I jumped up failing miserably to catch my prey. "Come on- Mello! Share!"

"I'd rather do this personally… It's kind of fun watching you jump around like this." he leered down at me.

"Perverted freak…" Linda slurred disappearing with her cronies.

"I didn't mean like that." Mello argued grunting loudly to himself. Slipping the chocolate bar into his pocket, he slouched lazily against the wall. I pouted. I haven't had anything sweet in months…

Gradually becoming bored with the idle chit chat, I decided to explore further before Matt realised I had wondered off in the opposite direction. According to the roughly sketched map Roger had given to me on my first day, I was currently in the Wammy's Common room. It was an impressive size considering the small amount of children that attended Wammy's Orphanage. The setting was basic- plain white walls with smooth laminated flooring along side simplistic décor. There were a few blue couched spread across the common room. All unoccupied- it seemed the children had finally seen sense and had decided to spend the day outside.

I obviously hadn't.

My footsteps began to echo above the sound of the Wammy orphans as I continued to wander without purpose. After searching through a few similar rooms, I found myself stranded in the common room once again. Only without Mello's company.

Instead, a child that couldn't be any older than myself had taken his place. Glossy locks of white curly hair had hidden his face as I tried to get a decent view of him. He was small- the white silk pyjamas fell loosely over his hands. "Hello?" I whispered to him.

"Yes?" he replied placing little black pieces onto the floor.

"Can I play with you?" Hope sounded in my timid voice as I tip-toed closer towards the albino child not wishing to startle the poor boy. Dominoes were aligned in front of him neatly in a line.

"Why?" he asked. "I believe you would rather spend your time with the others. They're playing football outside if you wish to join."

"I'm alright. I'm not a big fan of sports. I'd rather stay indoors and keep myself company." I said. "However, you seem intriguing so far."

"Very well." he resigned pushing a handful of dominoes next to my bare feet. "Please sit…"

"Thanks." I smiled gathering up the nauseous feeling that had built up in my stomach quickly. I don't believe throwing up on him is the best way to break the ice. Roughly 15 minutes had passed and not a word had been spoken. Taking the handful of dominoes the boy had awarded me with, I began swirling the small pieces into interesting shapes on the ground. After a minute, I began to realise that the albino kid had started to watch me build it into something more. Swirls and zigzags covered the floor in front of me once I had finished. I smiled, picking up the last piece and placing it at the end. It wasn't until then I had come to realise I had stolen the boy's pieces to build onto it. "Sorry- I didn't mean to take you're pieces. I was just getting so into it."

"It's fine." he replied monotonously, his eyes fixated on my work. I grinned at him, the nauseating feeling drained from my stomach slowly.

"What's your name?"

"Near." he curled his fingers around an odd strand off hair and played with it consciously. "You're Hope. The new child at Wammy's."

"Did Roger tell you?"

"Roger told everyone." I tittered watching Near follow the trail of dominoes.

"Um… Would you like to knock them down for me?"

"But you're the one that built it. It would only be right if you were the one to do so."

"I don't like knocking them down." He faced me blankly. "Think of it this way- I've spent so long building it, so what have I to gain by destroying it?"

"Then why have another to do so?"

"If they gain pleasure by knocking the dominoes down, then I would approve of them knocking them down. After all, not everything will last forever."

"…Ok." he nodded holding out his index finger and pushing the first domino over causing a chain of clatters to rumbled throughout the room. Smiling inwardly at Near, who had seemed to find the dominoes fascinating, I listened to he loud rattling noise become louder as each domino clashed with each other quickly before coming to an abrupt stop.

"I'm going to go and find my room mate now. If you need me, my room is 29A. It's been nice playing with you!" I rose to my knees heaving arms full of dominoes into the box I assumed they had come in and then held my hand out to the quiet Near. "Goodbye."

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry?"

"For keeping my company. I… enjoyed it. I shall see you in lessons…"

And with that, I left Near to his dominoes.

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