Sol of Luna: Near and Far

Author: Gakusangi

Author's Notes and Acknowledgements:
RECAP – We join Near in the Labyrinth, walking along a far reaching corridor with light coming in through holes in the ceiling. He is chase by a cloud of darkness, The Shadow, which freezes anything it touches. However, Near discovers that it cannot enter the light. In fact, it's harmed by it. Near pulls out a mirror from his travel pack and angles it to so that the light strikes his shadowy pursuer. The result, the shadow burns away, and Near is left to continue. We then join Mello, who's pursuing…himself, in some kind of maze, which changes its layout. Eventually, Mello catches up with his double, and is forced to relive his past trauma. Mello realizes that nothing he has seen is real, just an illusion. He shatters the false reality and continues. But the Emerald Sage has played his final card…The Sphinx…

This is a Death Note fan fiction. Many of the characters presented here are not mine, but the legal property of writer Tsugumi Ohba, and artist Takeshi Obata.

Chapter 22: The Labyrinth, Part IV

He wasn't back in the maze, but Mello was beginning to suspect that he wasn't much better off. This was maybe the tenth section he had entered with various passages branching off of it, leaving him with that all too critical decision. Which way to go? He had decided to take the left side passage whenever he came to one of these, figuring that it would be easier to backtrack that way. And so here is was, just as lost and worried as he had been since their being separated by the quake. His boots made loud tapping noises against the stony floor, which echoed off the brick stack walls of beige, similar to the ones he had encountered in the maze. But the walls weren't high, the passage wasn't narrow, and he hadn't yet spotted another Mello wandering aimlessly about as he was.

Mello came into another wide chamber, this one with three passages, including the one he had entered from. Mello cursed under his breath. In the moment he stopped to face the far left passage, something caught his attention. It was a light patting sound, like fast moving footsteps, coming from the passage off to the side. Mello crouched behind the wall, peering cautiously around the corner, his sword drawn and ready. The patting persisted as whomever, or whatever was coming made its way down the opposite passage. Mello's grip on his weapon's handle tightened, his muscles tensed, ready to pounce. Then something small, and white came quickly around the corner and into his range of vision. Mello gasped in surprise, his grip loosening, and the sword nearly falling from his hand.

"Near!" Mello called out.

Near turned at the sound of his name, and spotted the blonde boy's head poking around the corner. The white haired boy's unmoving expression belied his nearly overwhelming sense of relief. Mello came around the corner and started running forward. Near turned and faced him as he approached. Mello stopped for a moment, the color rushing out of his face. Near's injured hand was placed against his chest, the blood staining the front of his shirt. Mello rushed forward with sudden urgency. Near walked forward a few steps, then the blonde boy was upon him. At first Near wondered whether Mello was so relieved to see him, that he was going to embrace him. But then he frowned in confusion as Mello lifted his shirt and began examining his exposed torso. It took a moment, but soon Near realized what had happened, at about the same moment Mello realized that the blood was from a wound on Near's hand, and not his chest.

"What happened?" Mello asked as he took Near's slender wrist and brought the injured hand close to his face, to further examine it.

Near held something glittering up in his hand. Mello took whatever it was from the white haired boy and looked down at it, frowning with confusion. It was a mirror shard. Mello shrugged, and set his travel pack down on the floor. He began to rummage through it. After a moment, he withdrew a small roll of bandages. He ripped off a strip and began wrapping it around Near's injured hand.

"Have you seen Matt or Linda?" Mello asked.

Near shook his head.

"Damn!" Mello cursed in frustration.

He tied off the bandage. Near curled his hand into a fist, and then uncurled it, to test it out. It hurt, but having it dressed was a good start. Mello replaced the bandage roll, and slung his pack back onto his shoulders. He looked down at the smaller boy.

"Are you alright?" Mello asked in a low tone that was barely above a whisper.

Near was a little taken aback by the blonde boy's sudden concern, but nodded silently.

"Good, let's get moving." Mello said.

* * * *

Linda was relieved to discover that this particular passage appeared to have been constructed, unlike the roughened surface of a cave wall. Beige bricks stacked and packed tightly together to make straight walls. However, her hopes of meeting up with anyone were rapidly dissolving every time she was forced to choose one way over the other. There were periodic chambers with branching routes, and since she was already thoroughly lost, she had no idea which way to go. She decided to continue straight forward, as best she could, in an attempt to keep herself from getting more lost than she already was.

As Linda moved on, she became aware of a sound, faint and somehow familiar. At first she thought that it was merely some kind of breeze passing through the corridor, but she realized that the air was still. The noise seemed to come closer, and Linda soon came to the conclusion that it was whistling. Not the whistling of the wind, but a person. Linda drew her knives and slowed her pace. She brought herself lower to the ground, ready to pounce at the first sign of danger.

She crept into another open chamber with four passages leading off in different directions. The whistling seemed to be coming from all around her as it bounced off the walls. It was tuneless, but seemed upbeat…and so familiar. It was irritating really. Where had she heard it before? Linda decided to stop near the side of the passage and not cross over into the next room. Whatever it was making the sound, it was coming into the chamber, and she was going to be ready for it. She poised the blades, ready to bring them down on whoever or whatever came in.

You could imagine her surprise when a certain redhead came into the middle of chamber, his whistling ceasing as he tried to decide which way to go next.

"Matt!" Linda cried out, stepping into view.

Matt's spear clattered to floor, and he crossed the room with sudden, startling speed. Before Linda knew it, she was scooped up into the air, and held into a nearly suffocating embrace by the coppery haired boy. She smiled, and returned it with equal force, tears glistening in her eyes. And even though his goggles were down, Linda was certain that they brimmed in Matt's too.

* * * *

"My move…" L deadpanned.

He flicked his card onto the table, finally ridding himself of the Sphinx as its image was covered over. The old man looked down, and nodded. The card L had played depicted a series of wavy lines in each corner, converging towards the card's center.

The Four Winds

The old man nodded. It seemed like they would stand a fighting chance after all. But then L drew another card setting facedown beside his four gambit cards. The sage looked at him in confusion.

"Another gambit?" The old man asked with a frown.

"For me." L replied. "We're all in. This isn't just their test."

The old man nodded in understanding, but was filled with dark sense of foreboding. Gambits, even when they weren't used, often came at a great price, one that most people found themselves unable, or unwilling to pay. He hoped that the guildsman knew what he was doing, for all their sakes.

* * * *

The image carved into the ceiling of this particular chamber was the same as the one presented on L's card. In each corner of the room was a doorway, leading to a long corridor. This place was known as the Chamber of the Four Winds. But a certain blonde boy, and his short, ivory haired companion weren't aware of this fact as they entered. What they were aware of was the sudden sense of significance this place seemed to present. As soon they crossed the threshold, an odd feeling fell over them. It carried great weight. Of this they were both certain. But they were still left with that monumental choice…which way? Certainly not the way they had come. But that still left three options. Mello frowned and thought for a moment. Near remained silent, curling a lock of his hair.

One option was eliminated as a voice broke Mello's concentration.

"I told you they'd be okay."

Mello whirled around at the familiar voice. Linda was already rushing forward, leaving the grinning Matt standing alone at the mouth of the opposite passage. Linda threw her arms around Near and Mello's shoulders, pulling them into a tight embrace.

"Linda?" Mello managed in his surprise.

"Glad you could join us." Matt said, stepping up beside them. "Things were starting to get a little boring around here."

Mello looked at the red stained edges of the vicious tear crossing the back of Matt's vest from shoulder to shoulder with a degree of concern almost unfitting for the blonde boy. Matt only smiled reassuringly and shrugged.

"Well, maybe it wasn't so boring." Matt offered.

Linda finally released them, eyes threatening to overflow with tears, and ran her fingers through Near's soft, white hair. Matt came forward and clapped Near on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over.

"Well, looks like you managed on your own for a bit." Matt said with an odd sense a pride, like an older brother praising his younger sibling.

The corner of Near mouth twitched, a smile wanting to flood to surface, but he managed to suppress it. Mello nodded, and looked around. Matt knew what was going through his best friend's mind.

"We just came from that way." Matt said, tilting his head towards the passage he and Linda had appeared in. "There's nothing down there."

"Yeah, it's not much better that way either." Mello replied, poking his thumb in the direction he and Near had come from.

"So, that leaves two." Matt remarked.

"How do we choose which way to go?" Linda asked.

Near stepped forward, reaching into the breast pocket of Matt's tattered vest. Everyone looked on in silent confusion as his fingers fell into a small bag he found in the pocket. He withdrew a small coin and held it up between him and Matt. After a moment, Matt nodded in understanding. To dispel Linda and Mello's puzzlement, Matt pointed to one of the two passages.

"Heads." Matt declared, and then he pointed to opposite passage. "Tails."

"You're going to decide on a coin toss?" Linda said in exasperation.

"If you have any better ideas, I'd love to hear them." Matt replied.

"Let's do this." Mello responded, ending all arguments.

Near looked at everyone, setting the coin on his thumb. Then he flicked it, sending it into the air. Everyone held their breath. The coin fell slowly, and clattered on the ground, the ringing sound filling the empty chamber, echoing down the passages. Everyone looked down at it in silence.

"Tails." Mello said quietly.

They made for the attributing passage in silence. Everyone was relieved to be back together, but that could only mean that something so much more was in store for them. Challenge after painful challenge had been met, but they weren't sure what else could be thrown in their direction. But they were regrouped. They had persevered with only themselves time and time again, and as long as they were together, they would continue to overcome whatever they were met with. But still, no one could deny the horrible feeling that fell over each of them. It wasn't long down the passage before they came upon a series of steps descending into darkness. They were none too eager to follow it down, but seeing as how it was the only way to go, they took the steps cautiously.

Once they descended into the lower level, they were stunned at what stood before them. It was a large opening, flanked by two large, clay statues. The figures that statues represented were creatures with the body of lion, the wings of an eagle, and the head of human. All of the children were familiar with the fabled sphinx, but somehow the presence of these statues made them very uncomfortable. It was menacing in some way that they couldn't quite describe. Maybe it was a sudden sense of foreboding. Then again, who could have helped it in this place?

They reluctantly stepped forward and passed through the opening. The room they entered was expansive, and lit by two fiery basins set on either side of the room, far enough apart to drench most of the place in deep shadow. Near just manage to suppress a shudder at the thought of another shadow cloud attacking them. Matt immediately noted that he couldn't see the ceiling through the veil of darkness above their heads, and felt a great sense of unease. He listened intently for the sounds of something scratching overhead.

There was only one way to go, a brightly lit doorway just ahead. But this was all too simple. There must be something more. Everyone else held back as Mello stepped forward, hand resting on the handle of his sword as he went. He was only a few feet from the opening when suddenly there was a whooshing sound from above, like the beating of powerful wings. Mello fell back as a monstrous form landed before the doorway, barring their path. They all fell into silence as mighty, feathered wings outstretched, eclipsing the brightly lit passage beyond. The silhouette of something angelic and demonic all at the same time, stood before them.

The creature was not too unlike the statues outside. It was massive with a powerful body, resembling that of a predatory cat, tiger stripes running down the ridge of its back, and a feline tail coiling and uncoiling slowly about its hind legs. Great wings, like those of a hunter hawk, folded at its sides, black with white edges. Its head was more cat-like, only with slight human features, like an odd cross between and leopard and woman, as they were undeniably effeminate in appearance...one might have even said beautiful. Everyone stood, their minds racing with their hearts. The creature smiled a devilish smile that chilled the blood.

"It's been long since there have been visitors to the Hall of the Sphinx." The creature said in a voice that confirmed it was of the fairer sex. "And you certainly are an interesting looking bunch. Young too! It's impressive that you made it this far."

It could speak, and it could speak well. There was something odd about its tone, so excited, overjoyed. Where this should have been an uplifting tone, somehow seemed all the more alarming. Mello rose to his feet, his fingers still wrapped around the grip of his sword.

"What – who are you?" Linda stammered.

"I am called, Aia." The sphinx answered. "I am the guardian of this passage, and a protector of the abode of the Emerald Sage."

Her tone seemed bored, and the words seemed well rehearsed, like she had delivered them a hundred times before.

"I was inherited along with the cards, and various other properties of the former Emerald Sage, Castagale." Aia said.

Inherited? Former Emerald Sage? The children found themselves at a loss. But Aia ignored this, her smile returning, and with it their sense of great unease.

"Now that you're here," Aia said, "It's time for a bit of fun."

"Fun?" Mello asked in confusion.

"I can't let you pass without you first proving yourselves worthy of an audience with the Emerald Sage." Aia explained, her boredom seeming to have returned with these words. "In order to prove your worth, you must participate in a contest with me."

"A contest?" Linda asked with puzzlement.

Aia grinned, her eyes seeming to light up.

"A contest of wits and creativity." Aia explained. "A riddling contest."

Silence ensued. The children all looked at each other in confusion.

"A riddle contest?" Mello suddenly broke the silence.

Aia nodded, still grinning.

"We've been through challenge after life threatening challenge," Mello said, his voice rising, the irritation clear in his tone, "And now the deciding factor is a riddle contest!"

"Well this is life threatening as well." Aia offered. "If you fail, then I'll have to rip you shreds."

To emphasize her point, silvery claws flashed out of her paws, scraping across the ground, and making everyone shudder. After a moment, they slowly sank back inside. Aia's grin broadened. More silence followed, every eye falling on Mello.

"What are the terms of the contest?" Mello asked.

Aia seemed to get really excited at his hinted willingness to participate.

"One party gives the other a riddle to be solved." Aia explained. "If the riddled party is unable to answer the riddle, or answers incorrectly, then that party loses."

"If we win?" Mello asked, his voice calm and low.

"I let you pass, of course." Aia answered. "And if you lose…well, you don't want to lose."

Mello turned back and faced the others. His face was calm and unreadable. Matt wondered back behind the others, and pulled out his pouch of tobacco to roll himself a cigarette. Mello turned back to Aia, who was waiting patiently.

"We accept your challenge." Mello said.

Aia straightened, her wings unfolding a little, and her joyful smile threatening to cut her face in two.

"Great!" Aia burst like a small child at her surprise birthday party.

She set herself on the ground, relaxing a bit, prepared for a long session.

"Since it's been so long since I've had visitors," Aia said, grinning broadly in her feline way, "And don't desire to be rid of you so soon, I'll let you begin."

The children all looked at each other. Who to start, and how? It was Linda who came forward and stood before the cat creature. She cleared her throat, diving deep into that spot in her memories, from the first of her sessions at the Guild. Riddles had been something to pass the time. They strengthened the mind, kept it quick and clear. They also inspired creativity.

"There are five of us for certain, and three of us you." Linda said clearly. "What are we?"

"Oh, I like that one." Aia said, her slit eyes glimmering. "Five with three in you. Five of them for sure, but sometimes there are six. The vowels, my dear."

"Correct." Linda replied, and though she had expected Aia to answer so, no one could miss the downcast tone of her voice.

"Never fear," Aia said in a voice that they assumed was meant to be reassuring, but only managed to sound mocking, "It was a good try, and I'll start with something easy."

Aia leaned back into the shadows. Her eyes were strangely still alight in the gloom. The way they squinted indicated that she was smiling slyly.

"I am a scale that does not measure weight, height or volume." Aia said in a singsong voice that was both beautiful and haunting. "But when I'm present, I make a lot of noise. What am I?"

To everyone's surprise, it was Matt who spoke up from the back.

"The music scale." Matt said casually, not even looking up from the cigarette he was rolling.

Aia leaned forward, her large head coming back into the light, she was still grinning that wicked grin of hers.

"Well met, Matt." Aia said, using his name in a show what they figured was probably respect. "The answer is correct."

Mello stepped forward quickly, his face set and still unreadable. His eyes seemed almost to glow in the dimly lit chamber.

"What do you throw out when you want to use it, but take in when you don't want to use it?" Mello asked, his voice calm.

"An anchor." Aia replied with a twinkle in her eye. "It goes overboard when you want to stop, and comes back in when you no longer wish to stay."

"Right answer." Mello replied, stepping back beside Linda.

Aia leaned back again. There was something eerie about this movement, like she was drifting into someone else whenever that human-like face was foreshadowed, and only those gleaming eyes could be seen.

"I fly, yet have no wings, and weep, yet have no eyes." Aia said, her voice seeming oddly different as well. "What am I?"

Everyone was silent, thinking on her words carefully. Something that can fly, and yet has no wings, and it can also weep without eyes. What flies and weeps? It took a moment, but Linda finally came forward, her posture showing confidence in her answer.

"A cloud." Linda said. "It floats above the ground, and rains."

Aia came forward again, a small whistle escaping from between her lips.

"A fine answer." Aia said. "I'm beginning to warm up to you, Linda."

Linda snorted, and gave her riddle.

"What is it that after you take away the whole," Linda began, "Some still remains?"

"Oh, that's a good one!" Aia said excitedly, like a child that realizes that her parents are actually taking her to the toyshop instead of the market. "Take away whole, with some still there. A play on words, or rather a word. Wholesome."

"Correct." Linda replied with nod.

"I like this game." Aia said, her eyes glimmering in that way they did. "Very exciting."

She didn't notice that behind Mello and Linda, Near was busy thinking. The spin on the word 'wholesome' in Linda's last riddle had put his mind to work. A play on words could be something difficult enough to trip her up, it required a very odd way of thinking. But he needed something good, something creative. Aia drifted back to present her riddle.

"In the morning, I stand before you." Aia started. "At high-sun, I stand with you. And at sundown, I stand behind you. What am I?"

It was Mello that came forward again, the answer coming quickly into his mind.

"My shadow." Mello answered evenly.

"So quickly." Aia said in surprise. "I should have to…up-the-ante, with my next one. Correct, Mello."

Near reached up to curl a lock of his hair, in order to help him think. His hand brushed the hood of his jacket, or rather Linda's jacket. Something sparked in his eyes, as his mind formed the answer he had desperately been seeking. He had his riddle. Everyone, even Aia, looked on in surprise as Near suddenly came forward, standing dangerously close to the cat beast.

"I could cover your head or quickly close and open one eye." Near said quietly, his voice still seemingly strangely unfamiliar to his companions. "But when you put the two together, it's a complete lie."

"Poetic." Aia remarked, seeming quite amused. "I'm curious, did you come up with that on your own? It doesn't matter, except that it was very creative, and a good attempt. It covers your head, or opens and closes an eye, and you want it put together…"

Aia thought for a moment, but Near was certain that it was just for show. Aia grinned.

"Another play on words." Aia replied. "Hoodwink. A hood to cover, a wink to open a close, and a complete lie together."

"Correct, Aia." Near responded, and his monotone belied his disappointment.

"I like you, Near." Aia said suddenly, catching the white haired boys attention as he was beginning to walk away. "I shall very much regret it if I have to kill you…I suppose for you, I could make it quick."

Then her mouth curved in a chilling manner, flashing her feline fangs.

"But not too quick." Aia said. "I need my fun, after all."

Near turned, and retreated to the back to join Matt. Matt was still rolling his cigarette. There was something odd about how carefully he was turning the paper over the tobacco, but Near shrugged it off. Aia leaned back again.

"I whistle without lips, moan without lungs, and howl even when there's no moon." Aia said, the moon reference catching Near's attention. "What am I?"

Near smiled this time.

"The wind." Near replied from the back. "It whistles, it moans, and it howls."

"I am the wind," Aia said in that singsong voice, "And you are the feather. Correct, Near."

She came forward to hear the next riddle. Linda met her, prepared with one of the more difficult riddles she had heard.

"The man who invented it doesn't want it." Linda said. "The man who bought it doesn't need it. And the man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it?"

"A fine riddle, and an old one." Aia replied. "A coffin. The man who made it, doesn't want to die. The man who bought it, is still alive. And the man who needs it, is quite dead, and therefore doesn't know anything about it. Good effort, Linda."

Back into the shadows Aia went, her eyes alight with undertone malice.

"In the evening they come without being summoned," Aia said from the darkness, "By day they're lost without being taken. What are they?"

"Dreams." Near said before anyone else could answer.

Linda gasped. She knew this riddle, had heard it when she was still a cadet. That wasn't the correct answer. The right answer was stars. Dread filled Linda, hollow and chilling. Her eyes darted back to Aia, her hand instinctively finding the handles of the Kris Knives. Aia come rushing forward suddenly, causing everyone to recoil.

"Oh, I love that answer!" Aia said excitedly.

Her face indicated that she was very pleased indeed. But then again, she would probably wear the same face if she were about to tear them to ribbons.

"The answer to the riddle is often stars, but that was such a delightful answer, I think going to count it." Aia continued. "Well played, Near. Now I know that it will sadden me if you must die."

Linda came forward again. Aia was insane, that much was only clear the moment you met her. They had to stump her. They couldn't let her win. Linda reached back into her memory, and pulled forward the most difficult riddle she could recall.

"What does man love more than life?" Linda asked. "Fear more than death? What do the poor have, what the rich require, and what contented men desire? And all men carry to their graves?"

"Another classic from ever knowledgeable, Linda." Aia remarked with a gentle smile. "Why, I would have to say…nothing."

Linda's hopes sank.

"Correct." Linda replied, stepping back.

Aia once again retreated into the shadows.

"Until I am measured, I am not known." Aia said. "Yet how you miss me, when I have flown! What am I?"

"Time." Mello answered quickly. "You gave it away with flown."

"That I may have," Aia replied coming forward again, "But no one would want this contest to end so quickly, would they?"

"What kind of room has no windows or doors?" Mello asked, ignoring her previous statement.

"Why, a mushroom, of course." Aia replied with a mocking grin.

"Right." Mello muttered.

Back into the darkness, her eyes were now positively glowing, she was getting more and more worked up the longer this little game went on.

"Take one out and scratch my head," Aia said, "I am now black, but once was red. What am I?"

Linda, Mello and Near all frowned. But then a voice brought them out of their confusion.

"A match." Matt answered casually, striking one against the sole of his boot and lighting his cigarette.

"Always a pleasure to have you join in the festivities, Matt." Aia said, returning to the light. "You're a lot smarter than your fashion sense would imply."

Matt took a long drag off his cigarette, and let it out slowly. The smoke drifted over into Aia face, and she wrinkled her nose.

"That's a nasty habit, by the way." Aia remarked. "Likely to put you in an early grave."

"No one lives forever." Matt responded.

"True." Aia admitted. "But I had meant the last in more ways than one."

Mello spoke up again, disregarding the threat Aia had just made to his best friend. Linda noticed that he seemed more desperate in his attempt.

"What can go up and come down without moving?" Mello asked.

"The temperature." Aia answered, eyes still locked on Matt. "But here, it's always up."

She slipped back into the shadows, her eyes finally breaking from the redhead, and addressing all of them. They squinted a little as her mouth curved.

"You can't keep me until you have given me." Aia stated. "What am I?"

Mello smirked. He knew the answer, and it called up a specific memory, bringing it to the fore of his mind. At the same time this fond memory circled around his head, the image of Matt lying dead in the middle of some unidentified room returned. He shook the chilling recollection away.

"A promise." Mello answered. "Once given, then kept."

Aia drifted slowly back into view, still grinning.

"And what was yours?" Aia asked, her eyes twinkling.

The last riddle sparked something in Near's mind, and he leapt in front of Mello before the blonde boy could respond to Aia's question.

"You can have me, but cannot hold me." Near said. "Gain me, and quickly lose me. If treated with care I can be great, and if betrayed I will break. What am I?"

Silence filled the chamber. Linda and Mello stood stunned. It was very well worded riddle, and even they couldn't guess the answer. Matt chuckled quietly behind them all. But Aia was still grinning, her eyes sparkling with grim intelligence.

"Once again, a excellent, and creative riddle." Aia said joyfully. "You never disappoint me, Near. You may not talk much, but it's always worthwhile to hear what you have to say. The answer is trust."

"Well met, Aia." Near replied, falling back behind Mello and Linda to join Matt.

Aia resumed her place in the darkness, eyes glowing out to them, their slits quivering with excitement.

"I can be cracked, and I can be made." Aia told them. "I can be told, and I can be played. What am I?"

"That's easy." Matt snorted. "You can crack, make, tell, and play a joke."

"I was thinking music." Linda commented. "But then again, you can't 'tell' music, can you."

But Matt wasn't listening. His mind had suddenly been put to work. An odd little thought was passing through, and Matt couldn't help but grin devilishly at this new development. Mello's voice didn't even stir him as the next riddle was presented. Mello was beginning to worry. Aia was clever, and she had that feline slyness about her. She also knew the 'how' of riddling. He tried for the most difficult one he could think of.

"If you have me, you want to share me." Mello said. "If you share me, you don't have me. What am I?"

"That one must have been inspired by the promise riddle, at least it feels like it should fall into the same category somehow." Aia replied. "Well, you can 'keep' a secret, but the moment you 'share' it, you don't 'have' it anymore."

"Right." Mello said through gritted teeth.

Aia's playful nature was beginning to ride heavily on his nerves. Furthermore, he was all out of riddles. His brain was almost completely shut down. Plus, even if he could come up with something, he was beginning to suspect that Aia had done this many times before, and probably had a vast cache of riddles at her disposal, and with them, the answers as well. Things were looking dark, darker than even the shadows in which Aia retreated every time she spoke her riddles.

"The more of me there is, the less you see." Aia said to the children. "What am I?"

It was Mello's grim thoughts that provided the answer.

"Darkness." Mello answered quietly. "The more there is, the less you can see."

"Unless you're Near." Linda commented, though it was only an attempt to lighten the mood a little.

She could see it in Mello's eyes. It was that same determination that he had always had to win, to come out on top, to succeed. But now there was foreshadowing in his expression. He had nothing left. He was spent, just as she was. Now it was their turn, and they all stood at a loss. There was no riddle to bring Aia down, not one that they could recall or concoct anyway. Linda's hands returned to her knives, Mello's hand falling upon his weapon as well. But then a sound caught all of their attention, an oddly uplifting sound, something that shouldn't have been there, but was. Mello, Linda, and even Near, all turned their heads. Matt stood there, cigarette resting lazily in between his lips, his goggles pulled down over his eyes…and he was laughing.

"It sounds like someone's finally taken up the mood." Aia remarked, her eyes glimmering. "Matt, what is it that has tickled you so? Would you care to share it?"

Matt took a quick drag and came forward.

"I got one for you, Aia." Matt said, all smiles. "This one's a real gas."

"I'm all ears." Aia replied brightly.

"What do a squirrel and a ninety-year-old man have in common?" Matt asked.

Aia's shining eyes dulled. Her expression faded from grinning amusement to frowning, undeniable confusion. Everyone held their breath. They certainly hadn't been prepared for this. Matt was prone to "thinking outside the box", but this was something else. It was a joke, not a riddle, but a joke. Like something told in the play yard, followed by fits of childish laughter. What was Matt thinking?

"I don't understand." Aia said, blinking after a long, tense silence.

"It's a riddle," Matt replied, the corner of his mouth curled into a smirk, "What's your answer?"

"A riddle?" Aia responded, wrinkling her nose. "That doesn't sound like a riddle. It sounds like…something a child might ask for laughs."

"It is a riddle!" Linda suddenly burst, stepping forward beside Matt. "And it has an answer. One that all of us know. Now present your answer."

Though she didn't know it, she was telling the truth. Of course Matt, Linda, and Mello had heard the joke before, countless times when they were younger. But what she didn't know, was that thanks to Misa's best friend Nori, Near was familiar with it as well. The white haired boy found himself unable to suppress the smile that crossed his pale features. His eyes were alight, like everyone else's as he stepped up to join Linda and Matt.

"It doesn't have a practical or logical answer!" Aia protested like a child, only with a larger vocabulary. "It's not a fair riddle! It's – it's…"

"Are you forfeiting?" Mello asked, coming up to join his best friend. "If the riddle is too difficult, and you therefore cannot provide an answer, then you must forfeit in our favor. That's what was agreed upon."

Mello's hand gripped the handle of his sword tightly, ready to draw at any moment. Aia twitched nervously for a moment, flustered and stuck. Her mood suddenly went from childish discomposure to a dangerous, raging fury. Her wings spread out, shadowing the children in their expanse. Her eyes were narrowed and rolled over white, like the eyes of shark with the scent of blood fresh in its nostrils. Her claws flashed out, glimmering like polished steel, sharp and read to draw blood. She let out a loud, guttural growl, baring her fangs. To everyone's surprise, Mello did not draw his weapon. Instead, he came confidently before the raging beast, his face calm and dangerously close to hers.

"You have lost." Mello said evenly. "This contest is over. Stand aside and let us pass."

Aia's face came closer, her nostrils flaring, blowing back the blonde boy's hair. But he didn't move, he didn't unsheathe his weapon, he simply stood, his eyes locked with hers. Aia's feline chest heaved, and her fur stood on end. Linda and Matt were frozen, and even Near stood in shocked silence as Mello stared at the ravenous and frenzied cat creature. But then a change fell over Aia. Her fur settled again, her wings folding to her sides, and her eyes rolling back over, until the slits were focused on the blonde boy before her. The claws slowly retracted back inside her paws, and her features softened. Aia smiled, and gave a light chuckle.

"Well played." Aia laughed. "Well played, indeed. You're right, I was unable to answer, and the victory is yours to savor."

She stood aside, allowing them passage. Mello was the first to step through into the corridor. He didn't so much as glance at Aia as he walked by. Linda was next, a little more cautious of the dangerous creature as she went. Aia only smiled at her. Matt was next, walking casually by the cat beast with his spear resting on his shoulder.

"It was great pleasure, Matt." Aia said as he passed.

"Any time." Matt replied.

Near finally came over, curling a lock of his hair as he went. He nodded to Aia as he passed.

"You're something special, you know." Aia said over Near's shoulder.

Near stopped and turned back to face Aia. There was something eerie about the way her head floated there, her slit eyes twinkling, and that sly, feline grin. Near suddenly felt none too anxious to turn his back on her, but knew that he needed to meet up with the others. He finally mustered the nerve to look away and started back down the passage. He took a few quiet steps before breaking into a jog. Aia hissed with nearly silent laughter as she watched him flee. This has been a most amusing game.

* * * *

The passage wasn't too long, and eventually the children found themselves taking another flight of stairs, these one's going up, ascending back to the first floor. When they emerged, they were greeted with the sight of a vast cavern, its expanse giving them a sense of vertigo as they beheld it. There were holes in the ceiling, similar to the ones that Near had previously encountered, sunlight, or what appeared to be sunlight drifting in, and lighting their surroundings. At the far end, directly across from where they stood, was a massive stone slab, with an odd etching on its surface. It wasn't of the natural stone the rest of the cave consisted of. It was a red stone, polished and gleaming, with black veins running down its surface.

As they approached, the etching carved into the center of slab seemed to glow a faint blue color, misty and unsettling. Everyone stood in silence for a moment. Could this be another challenge? Mello reached out with one steady, gloved hand, and made to touch the odd carving. But before his leather-clad fingers could make contact with the etching, the slab suddenly slid aside with a loud hissing sound. Everyone leapt back, and stared. The way was open to them, but they were none-too-eager to cross the threshold. Mello stepped inside, everyone else filing in behind him. Once everyone was inside, the stone slid back into place behind them, with dull thud that echoed off the walls.

"I'm glad you could make it." A lifeless and all too familiar voice said.

Everyone stared in surprise.

"How the hell did you get here so fast?" Mello demanded.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes

Whoa! I think this was my longest chapter yet, just shy of twenty pages!

Sorry about the long wait, I wanted to submit this yesterday, but I had to go to work (I need the money).

Yes, as some of you may have guessed, it's a riddle contest. Matt comes out on top yet again! I love that kid. Near gets some lines in too. Linda is really good at riddles, and Mello...well Mello's just awesome. I like Aia, she's one of the few original characters I really enjoy in this story.

Anyway, wow! It's been a long journey, but here we are. Everyone's back together, and now someone's finally going to answer that million dollar question...WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?