Mrs. Lawliet: Ahh, sorry that Matt's story will be awhile but...yep, apparently so. A happy drunk; hah.

Amy: Ahhh? I got you to laugh aloud? I feel accomplished! Ha, it would have been amusing if that had happened, huh? It almost seemed like it, didn't it? Haa...

Blarg. I'm too busy. I barely edited this chapter. Sorry... ^^; Sacred myself, too. Almost didn't update, hahahaaa...

Well, enjoy the chapter~

"Wow, I can't believe we found this place," Matt remarked as he unpacked his bags. They had recently made their next move, and were now in a nice little home… underground. No one seemed to live there, as there was dust upon every piece of furniture as well as on the floor. Although, there wasn't much furniture anyway. One bed, a small television, and a nightstand with a lamp and clock, plus the necessities for the kitchen and bathroom. That was all.

"I wonder who used to live here," Sierra commented, looking around at their current home.

Mello shrugged, of course holding a chocolate bar in his hand as he leaned against the wall. "Considering the way it's hidden and only has the more necessary of things, it probably used to be a hideout for a fugitive."

Matt tilted his head as he pulled out some wires. "The guy's probably dead by now, with Kira around."

"That would explain why it's so dusty…," said Sierra, scuffing some of the dust on the ground with her foot. Then she grinned. "Well, I guess this place fits us then, right? We're fugitives, too." And she giggled out of faint amusement.

"Yeah, I guess that's right," Matt remarked as he began to hook everything up.

"Can I help at all?"

"Sure," Matt replied, and began indicating what she was supposed to plug into what as he himself hooked up a different piece of equipment.

Mello continued leaning against the wall, snapping off pieces of chocolate with his mouth as he watched them. He wasn't really watching them, though, he was more thinking to himself about things. They had a plan, they just needed to find the right time, the right place, and the right equipment. They'd ditched the car awhile ago; they needed a new one. A motorcycle would be nice, too. They needed rope, cloth, duct tape, and a chair. They needed a secure area with a good security system and good locks. Yeah, they needed a few things before they acted.

His gaze shifted to the entrance to this place; there was an alcove of sorts, where a pole stood, shooting upwards into a hole in the ceiling. This pole, to slide down it, was the way in, though there was an old wooden ladder as well. This seemed unstable, however, and so they hadn't used it. Well, Matt had started to, but then the rung he was on broke and he used the pole instead. Sierra had laughed.

As Mello continued thinking on the things they needed, Sierra's and Matt's voices faded into white noise. As he pondered, eventually his thoughts turned to a different matter…. When he'd gone to Sierra's subconscious. When he'd remembered things. It was only bits and pieces at first, but he was beginning to put everything together. He could remember what his parents looked like now. He remembered, one memory at a time, the hazy events of the first two years of his life. It was odd, sometimes he thought that maybe it was better to forget. But then, a majority of the time, he just got frustrated for not being able to remember because, after all, those memories were a part of who he was, whether he enjoyed those memories or not.

He was snapped out of his reverie as a head popped down through the hole in the ceiling at the entrance. The head had black hair and belonged to a man that Mello recognized…. It was the guy who had broken him out of jail, pretending to be L.

The man eyed him, recognition immediately in his eyes. He grinned at Mello, and a hand slipped into the hole in the ceiling as a finger was held to his lips. Don't tell. The head and hand disappeared back into the hole.

Mello looked to Matt and Sierra. They were still talking and hooking things up. He felt for his gun; he still had it on him. Good. He knew how that guy's mind worked; he was just like a lot of other criminals. He had broken him out of jail, and now Mello owed him. For now he'd play it safe and not tell the other two. First he'd see what the guy wanted, and how he knew they were there in the first place. Giving Matt and Sierra one last glance, Mello made his way over to the exit and climbed up the pole to pull himself up through the hole and to the exit where the man had gone.

He was waiting for him when he got up. He looked at Mello, and gave a fierce grin. Mello gazed back at the man, unfazed. He kept a hard look in his eyes (you know, that glare he uses so often) as he spoke in low tones. "What are you doing here?"

"This is my hideout," he replied, grin gone. He wasn't wearing the makeup that changed him to look like L this time, and so he looked much different. Plus, Mello could now see him in a better light. He had the eyes of a killer – dead eyes – and his hair was unkempt as it had been before. "Do you remember me?" he asked.

"Of course I do," Mello snapped.

He smiled slightly. "Good; very good…."

"What do you want?" the chocoholic asked the man irritably, getting right to the point.

"I want nothing," he replied. "From you, anyway. I just came to my hideout in order to use it, but I can see now that it's occupied.

Mello grunted. "It seemed abandoned."

"It was. So it makes sense. However, I now know you're here, so it probably isn't smart to stay here with your friends because you don't trust me. Then I can't stay here because, of course, you know this place exists and would know I was here. And I, in turn, don't trust you. It seems it's no one's territory. Terribly sorry."

Mello scowled, knowing he was right. They'd need to find a new place either now or early tomorrow morning. "You don't need to tell me what to do; I understand things on my own."

"So do I. We have so much in common."

The blond's scowl deepened. This guy was irritating.

"In any case, I should probably be going, then…. It was nice seeing you again, Mello."

"How do you know L?" Mello asked abruptly, before he could turn around.

"I've met him. How else?"

"When?"

"That's a secret." He smiled crookedly. A young girl poked her head out from behind the corner, catching Mello's attention immediately. What was a kid doing with this guy? Was she his daughter? How old was she; nine? A nine-year-old shouldn't be hanging around this guy….

Mello only scowled again, glaring at the black-haired man. Who was this guy, anyway? The girl came out from behind the corner and stood beside the man. Her eyes, too, seemed darkened. "Who are you?" Mello asked him.

He smiled. Well, it was more of a smirk, or a lopsided half-smile that seemed more cruel than lighthearted. "I am the phoenix," he said, "and this is my mockingbird." He patted the girl's head as if to indicate her, then bowed. "Goodbye." And with that, the two of them walked away, turned the corner, and left the hideout.

Mello stared after them, and after a minute or so of just standing there, he slid down the pole and walked right to Sierra and Matt. "We need to move to another hideout," he told them, automatically getting complaints in return. He irritatedly tried to ignore them.

When they finally did find a place to stay, it was three o'clock in the morning and their new abode was rather shabby. Matt didn't even set up his equipment, because he knew they'd be moving out again the next day. Instead, he rolled a barrel in from outside to use as a chair, and sat upon it as he lit up a cigarette to smoke. Mello had actually decided to rest, so he was sleeping on the floor in what was once a nice living room. Sierra was given the bedroom, and it was assumed that she was sleeping soundly in there. Matt sighed, breathing out a stream of smoke.

Sierra shuffled in from the hallway, spotted Matt looking at her, and nearly retreated before just deciding to go out anyway. "…Hi," she greeted. Not seeing anything else to sit on, she sat on the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Hey," Matt responded. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

She didn't remove her eyes from the floor. "Yeah."

"Couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head.

"Am I allowed to ask why?"

She didn't answer at first, and looked up at Matt. He didn't seem to be looking at her, but she could never tell with those goggles. She looked back to the ground. "I don't know whether I should laugh or cry," she said.

He took another drag of his cigarette. "About what?"

She stared at a very interesting pebble. "Life, I guess."

He shrugged. "You know, that happens a lot with people under pressure. Laughing, I guess, is the most positive thing to do, but sometimes you just have to cry."

"Well, it's just that… laughter would be my first response because crying is so unfamiliar to me. You know… a lot of times… when I act hyper… it's really all fake. But when I laugh… that's fake too, and I don't even know what my real laugh sounds like. A laugh of happiness, I mean."

"I guess all I can say to that," Matt responded, "is that I'm gonna hope someday I hear your real laugh. And Mello will hear it too. Alright?"

The corner of Sierra's mouth twitched upwards. "Okay." Quietness filled the air, broken only by breathing, heartbeats, and the chorus of crickets outside. Possibly inside, too. "I want to tell you something," said Sierra, looking up at Matt.

"Hm?" He looked down at her.

"There was a day, one time, where I felt such terrible longing that I almost couldn't stand it. I missed Wayne and CJ, my brothers. I missed my mom, even though she was a bitch. I missed Tony, even though I hate him so much."

"Oh," Ryuk remarked in surprise.

"All of the things that I hated, like Tony; the things I thought I didn't need in life; the things I thought were meaningless and insignificant; things I didn't need, I missed so much, and I didn't know why." She looked to the ground again. "It didn't make sense…."

"Well, that's what you grew up with, isn't it?" Matt asked.

"…Yeah…."

"Things and people you grow up with you tend to grow attached to; it's how humans are."

Sierra blinked. "I guess…."

"Kehehe," Ryuk snickered. "Humans are so interesting…." He didn't voice aloud the thought of how pitiful he thought they were.

Can it, Ryuk, Sierra thought bitterly.

"Here, let me tell you a secret," said Matt. He smothered his cigarette on the edge of his barrel and flicked it away from him. "There came a time, when I was only two and a half, where my mother couldn't even recognize her own son. She left me alone, unaware I existed, and I had to somehow care for myself. As I grew older and I realized what was going on, I'm going to admit I resented her for all of it. For not caring for me like she should have. For forgetting who I was; her own son. For letting herself come to what she became in the end. Yet after it was all over, I wanted her back, mental instability and all." He shrugged. "It's just how our minds work."

Sierra stared at him. "Your mom… forgot who you were? That's horrible…." She averted her gaze, allowing it to travel to the ground again. "You had it worse…. My mom knew who I was, at least. She just ignored me."

"Well, think of it this way: my mom couldn't really help herself. I mean, I guess in a way it was her fault that her mind failed her because she did technically choose to fall, but… your mom actually chose to ignore you. Chose to leave you. That must suck."

Sierra frowned slightly, glaring at the ground. "My past sucks."

Matt sighed, smiling ever so slightly. "Well… welcome to the club. I guess we all have to stick together, huh? Me, you, and Mello, I mean."

Sierra forced a smile. "Yeah."

When I awoke, I at first felt fine. Then I opened my eyes, and the morning light immediately burned my eyeballs and seemed to drill into my head rather painfully. I closed my eyes again, placing my palms on my eyelids and pushing my eyeballs backwards into their sockets. I sat up, and the headache decided to come back immediately.

"Aunt Natalie, I'm leaving!" Anna called.

I put my hand to my forehead. "Don't yell, Anna…. Please don't yell…." I slowly got to my feet and shuffled to the door, opening it to begin my journey downstairs. I caught Anna just in time.

"Good morning, Aunt Natalie," she grinned.

I winced. "…Can you be… a little quieter?" I asked.

"Um, I was talking normally…." She tilted her head. "Are you okay?"

A sigh escaped my lips as I rubbed my temples. I felt kinda sick. Light, I'm so sorry. "Um… yeah…. I just have a really bad headache. Um…."

"Maybe it's a hangover," she remarked.

At first that didn't process right, but then Light's memories came into focus and all I could do was close my eyes and frown. "Yeah…. Probably." Unfortunately, even though the alcohol hadn't affected Light, the pain afterwards would definitely be felt. Great. Good job, L. And then I looked back on my own memories… on all that had happened the night before. "…I feel like an idiot."

"I thought you were funny, Aunt Natalie," Anna giggled, then gave me a hug goodbye before leaving.

I heaved a sigh, putting a hand to my head. Matsuda was going to wonder what had happened, for sure. What a day this would turn out to be.

"Aunt Natalie got drunk last night," Anna informed Gevanni happily once she got to headquarters.

"She did?" asked Halle.

"I thought she didn't drink," Gevanni said confusedly.

Anna shook her head. "She doesn't. L drugged her."

"What?" said Halle.

"Why?" Gevanni inquired.

My niece shrugged. "Something to do with the Bond."

"What about the Bond?" asked Near. "Surely L wouldn't have drugged Natalie on purpose for nothing?"

"Apparently he's found a loophole," Anna shrugged.

Near did that 'cute monkey' smile of his. "How interesting…." The smile disappeared. "Do you know what sort of loophole it was?"

"Um, no…. Sorry."

"That's alright." He went back to building his dice tower. The day went on as normal. Anna talked to Halle and Gevanni, sometimes including Rester in her conversations. She would occasionally try to talk with Near, but he made a horrible partner when it came to conversations. Time passed, little was accomplished, and as the day shifted to afternoon, reaching the brink of evening, Anna left and the rest of the SPK began to disperse. It was after everyone had left that Near contacted L. Why? Because if there was something that he was hesitant to say that Near would want to hear, he was more likely to say it with only Near around.

A large calligraphic L came up on all of the small screens put together. "Hello," Near greeted. He got straight to the point. "I heard you drugged Natalie last night. Something to do with a loophole in the Bond?"

"Of course," L responded. "I was planning on telling you. It's apparent that alcohol only affects the mind of the one who ingested it, despite the fact that person is Bonded to another. And of course, you'd know what this means…."

"Yes…." Near looked down at the two die in his hand. "This would imply that any poison would only affect one, and not the other. Someone with a Bond could be killed, without killing the one they're Bonded to."

"Precisely."

"Now, if it isn't a trouble to ask, why did you start working on the Sinful Murder cases?" Near asked out of curiosity.

"I'm on that both because I find it interesting and because the murderer is directly challenging me, as L."

"So I assume you know who the killer is?"

"Yes."

Near's mouth twitched. "May I know who it is, or is that question too prying?"

It was silent for a moment. L did not speak, and Near waited patiently for his response. "I don't see how that's relevant to you. You are not on that case."

"I may not be on that case, but he interfered with the Kira case in killing Misa Amane."

There was another pause. Then there was what Near thought to be a small sigh, and L spoke again. "I suppose that is good reason to want to know… but that information isn't necessary to you, Near. I apologize."

"I completely understand your reasoning," Near conceded, twirling his hair. "However, I deem it necessary to know a bit more about him, knowing he's killing people that affect me. Who's to say he won't try to kill another suspect, or even one of those in my group?"

"Well, he does have a specific pattern to his methods, so that isn't very likely."

"He killed Misa, didn't he? I'm sorry, but I would like to know who it was that disrupted my plan against Kira."

There was another small sigh, and more silence. Then, "The killer is Beyond Birthday, a first generation Wammy child. He also seems to enjoy impersonating me…. In fact, he was the one who interrupted your fake execution. If you feel the need to look into him, you can find his files under his name. Working with him is Sophia Ellis, another girl from the other world that is Bonded to Beyond."

"Thank you; I appreciate you telling me."

"Yes. Was there anything else you wanted to address?"

"No, that was all. Goodbye." And Near disconnected. "Hm…." Beyond Birthday. BB? Anna and the other three had mentioned someone like that, hadn't they? Anna, do you know who Beyond Birthday is?

You mean BB? Anna responded immediately. Yeah, he's the guy who loves strawberry jam, remember?

Loves strawberry jam? Near repeated dully.

Yep! He was in Another Note, but Sierra never let me read that….

I see. Thank you.

Of course!

Near twirled his hair contemplatively. "A serial killer, a Wammy child, an L impersonator, and a lover of strawberry jam. What a combination. Now I need to decide what to do with him…." He stood up and headed to one of the computers to begin his search.

Fun Fact: I sometimes write BB in sharpie on the lid of my jars of strawberry jam. Yep.

Review? For loopholes? :D