Chapter 7: Goodbye
Note: I think this will be one of the longest chapters. There are a lot of details and thing I want to show. Hope you like
Once the door was opened Luna fell back with a scream, and after a minute covered her mouth with both hands and stared forward. Her scream was enough to get plenty of attention because Nova and BB were by her side in a split second and other kids came out. "All zeros" Luna mumbled to BB and Nova
She then jumped up and ran over to Ace with Nova and BB right on her heals. Roger then pushed through the crowd and a look of horror appeared on his face. "Children" he said suddenly then continued "One of you call an ambulance and the rest get to your rooms now"
The children did as they were told, except Matt and Mello who had pushed past Roger to the others. Luna and the others stared at their dead friend. Nova started crying and was now hugging Matt tightly. Mello stared down in shock and Luna and Beyond stared unblinking at a very bloody Ace. He had cut 3 main arteries and it was surprising he was able to do so seeing the severity of the wounds he inflicted. A bloody knife lay on the floor beside him. What felt like an eternity later the ambulance arrived and Ace's corpse was taken away. He was to be cremated later the next day. Roger finally got the other five to leave the room and brought them to his office where they all sat on the floor. Roger looked at them sadly. Near then walked in and looked around at all the others. He then sat between BB and Luna and looked at Roger as he thought of what to say. "Children, I know this is very traumatic for all of you, but I need to know now. Did any of you notice anything strange about Ace the past couple of weeks?"
"No, and not all of us are children" BB replied
"He seemed fine. Why would he….How didn't we notice?" Luna asked no one in particular
"This is L's fault" BB said
"How could you say that?" Mello asked and looked at the others who were silently debating what to say
"Calm down now" Roger urged
"No, L is the one who brought all of us here; he's the one we are trying to become. Ace didn't even want that. He just wanted everyone to be happy" BB argued
"L didn't directly cause this." Luna stated
"But he brought us here then hardly ever visits"
"He has cases to solve" Near said blankly
"I realize that, but he can't even take 5 minutes to call, or write a letter, or hell even send a post card?"
"Watch what you say. What L does is very important" Roger told him
"And the person who will take over as the next L isn't? We aren't?"
"L doesn't have time for friends"
"That's harsh" Luna commented
"I understand all of this is hard, but for now I have many things I must do, including helping the other caretakers check on the other children, and I need you to go to your rooms. Beyond you may go with Mello and Matt to their room for the time being" Roger told them solemnly
All six got up and left the room and went to Luna and Nova's room. "I shouldn't have left him alone" BB said
"It's not your fault" Near told him then added "Ace made the decision on his own. He's the one who didn't think of anyone else, he's the one who was selfish and a coward."
Luna quickly smacked Near who now had his hand to his face and stared at her in shock. The others just stared. "Don't talk about him that way"
"It's true we have no idea what was going through his mind, so don't make assumptions of what he did" Mello said
Luna now shifted to where she was laying in BB's lap and stared at the floor. Nova had her head on Matt's shoulder and Matt was leaning back on the bed. Mello and Near were on the floor (far from each other). "Is this really happening?" Nova asked through sniffles
"Yea, it is" Mello stated then added "And none of us can change that"
"I still don't understand how nothing seemed wrong"
~In Roger's office~
"Old friend I fear I call with grave news" Roger spoke through the receiver
"What happened?" Watari replied
"Ace took his own life this morning"
"Oh dear"
"Yes, it's very shocking"
"What do the children think? Are they okay?"
"For now they are in their own rooms"
"Is that so?"
"What do you mean?"
"You do realize which group of children I'm referring to? I'm sure they are fine, but I doubt they have gone to their own rooms" Watari explained
"Probably not" Roger said
"When will the burial be?"
"Sometime next week"
"Don't you think for their sake it should be sooner?"
"Perhaps" Roger agreed then added as he thought about it again "They sort of blame L, and I would guess us as well"
L looked up at Watari upon hearing this and looked a little saddened. News Ace killed himself was devastating in itself, but he was to blame. "We should go there" L said
"We are working a case L" Watari replied
"We already know who to culprit is; let's arrest him and head home. They need us"
"Do they really? Or perhaps do you want to see for yourself that this is true? Or do you just want to see them?"
"THEY need us"
"Do you mean ALL the children?"
"Slightly"
Watari picked up the phone again "Sorry friend, having a conversation"
"So I can tell, and it seems to be going in circles"
"Yes"
"I suppose we can expect you tomorrow?"
"Yes, but don't tell any of the children" Roger heard L say
"Okay"
He then clicked the hang up button and began getting things set for Ace's burial.
~Back in Luna and Nova's room~
Luna sat on the window sill with a blueberry sucker, strumming a lullaby which was quickly putting Near, Matt and Nova to sleep. BB was reading his book. Mello was eating chocolate Luna had swiped from the kitchen while getting her own treats and some jam. Near and Matt had finally drifted to sleep when Luna stopped playing and clearly was lost in thought. Mello stared at her a little worried momentarily then shrugged it off. She wouldn't go do anything stupid. Luna looked around at the others. Near and Matt were asleep on the floor. Nova was still leaning on the sleeping Matt and was playing with her iPod. Mello was clearly bored and coloring in one of Nova's books and Beyond was still reading. "I have to use the bathroom, I'll be back" Luna told the ones who were awake and left the room.
Her feet lead her to where she knew she wanted to be, but at the same time she felt uneasy. She opened the door. Her prints would be on it from many times entering the room, so she wasn't hurting anything. She then quickly slid the door shut; she was the only one there. She looked around the room. She had to find a good reason and not just try to assume why this was happening. Something under the bunk bed caught her eye. She quickly stepped around the tarp over the large puddle of blood in the room and tensed a little, but then she shook her head. She had to do this if not only for herself. She reached under the bed and her fingers caught something thin, and she pulled it toward her. When her hand came back into the light she realized it was a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it she saw Ace's handwriting:
I figured one of you would find this, and I know all of you must be confused. But I owe you an explanation. Don't let Roger see this. Somehow I know it's Luna who found this and I know a piece of paper is probably worthless when it comes to something like this. Truthfully I'm a coward. I couldn't just run away because I know you all would just track me down. I'm not amazing at covering up things like that. I really do care about you guys, and I'm sorry because I know you are probably upset. Just try not to forget me? Also, no one but myself is to blame, so don't blame anyone else or yourselves. Anyways I am going to kill myself, and this proves that I'm a coward, just for some reason I see no other way out and I hope someday you can forgive me. BB, Lun, all of you really, probably never noticed any change in me and I did that on purpose. I was afraid of letting everyone down. My grades keep slipping, my sister is dead, and soon I know I will be kicked out of here. I mean I obviously can't be L. Again I'm sorry, and I love you all(no homo)-Ace P.S. Goodbye
Luna couldn't help, but laugh at the last part. Even when deciding to take his life Ace could make a joke. Ace and Beyond were always able to cheer her up. Luna slowly got up and folded the letter again, avoiding the tarp once more she slowly opened the door again, making sure the coast was clear she left the room and entered her own again. "That was a long bathroom break" Mello commented
"Yea, did you fall in?" Nova joked
"No, actually I didn't go to the bathroom" Luna admitted then held the letter forward.
They woke up Near and Matt and Luna read the letter out loud this time. About an hour later Roger brought them back to his office and asked them questions. Beyond and Ace's room was now clean again, but Beyond would be sleeping in a spare room. The rest of the day and night went by quickly. In the morning everyone was out of their rooms again. The morning went by with few problems….until some of the others as well as Luna, Nova, Beyond, Near, Mello, and Matt were in the lounge. Near was building a Lego tower, Mello kept destroying it. Beyond was once again reading one of his murder mystery books, and Nova and Luna were playing a video game with Matt. Soon all six were tuned into a conversation by a couple of the other kids. A dark haired boy spoke to the other two "Yea that's what happened"
A blond girl shook her head at him "No way, that isn't true"
"Why not ask the freaks themselves?" the blond boy asked and looked at Luna, Nova, Matt, Beyond, Near and Mello then added "Top of the class and still can't figure out why their friend killed himself. Probably couldn't stand being friends with freaks"
The other boy and girl laughed. The other six were not impressed, and you knew it was serious because the game was paused. "You should be careful what you say" Near warned
"And why is that?" the blond boy asked
"Because most of us have tempers" Nova responded
"Oooo we're so scared" the blond girl cried in a fake manner
"You all are freaks, why should we worry what you do?" the dark haired boy asked
Beyond now put his book down and Near and Mello stopped what they were doing. "The boy who killed himself was a coward, and an idiot, as well as a freak. Face it 'BB' you're just a backup. Luna is just plain freaky in every way, I mean come on who has purple eyes? Nova is a crybaby. Matt is a really big nerd. Mello, I'm pretty sure is a girl. And Near is an emotionless albino freak, and somehow you all are at the top of the class." the blond boy said
"Take it back" Luna warned
"Or what? And why take back the truth?"
"You really don't want to find out" Luna warned again
"And even if some of it is true, leave Ace out of it" Beyond added
The blond laughed "Am I supposed to be afraid? And no I will not take anything back. That kid is better off dead"
Before any of them could blink Luna jumped up and pushed the boy against a window instantly shattering it. He was almost hanging out of the window. The only thing holding him up: Luna (people with shinigami blood are stronger than most humans). Other children gasped including Nova and Near and a few ran to get Roger. "I said take it back!" Luna yelled at him
One thing almost everyone at Wammy's knew was that Luna could be very violent and not to anger her. The boy struggled to get out of her grasp and squirmed around "I wouldn't do that" Luna warned
"Please just let me go" the boy pleaded
"Okay, but if I let you go now you will fall three floors to the concrete below" She told him darkly and heeded his request letting him go.