"Don't spook him." Matt whispered as he tiptoed around a corner so he could see Mello's back. The blonde was currently walking down the hall toward where Linda hid, ready to strike.

Matt smirked as he watched Mello walk over the X the red head was imagining. A bucket of water splashed down toward the blonde and Matt let out a whoop which turned into a groan as Mello pulled an umbrella from below his shirt and opened it.

Both bucket and water bounced off it as Mello turned to smirk and stick his tongue out at Matt who scowled back.

"Mission failed," He grumbled "Retreat."

Linda and Lily rolled from their hiding places and joined Matt. Not before Mello poured lemon juice on them as they passed, careful to avoid their eyes. The three retreated elegantly from their oh so elegant defeat and Linda and Lily sniffed at their now lemony fresh smelling paint soaked clothes.

"Who carries around an umbrella? Seriously." Matt grumbled as he sat down for breakfast, checking his food and having to pull out a few super powered shock tarts someone had put in his cereal. They were a bit obvious, seeing as they had turned the bright milk into a soupy rainbow.

"Mello apparently." Linda replied, checking her food and finding it safe. Matt grumbled before having to spit out a mouthful of cereal.

"Disgusting." He grumbled, the milk now tasting of watered down orange, watermelon, and cherry. Lily wasn't even daring to eat and neither was a few other kids who's friends were now throwing up in a toilet somewhere.

Linda munched on her cereal happily while Matt asked "Sooo, what's next on the-"

There was a scream as Linda licked her spoon only to find her tongue was a shocking yellow. She tried to rub it off with her napkin while Matt snorted into his own food.

Lily had to stop Linda from choking on her napkin and force her to relax. Linda couldn't stop flicking her tongue out to look at it however as Matt looked up at the ceiling "Bring it on."

…

The day continued on with it's usual manner with screaming students, shrieking teachers, a good amount of slime, LOTS of water, and even one hospitalization when a boy had a panic attack.

As always Mello was raining supreme and hadn't been seen since second period. People huddled close to their friends in tight knit circles so they could see in every direction. That was when friend turned on friend and dumped the largest tub of clay glaze on them before running from both the now pink soaked student and the furious Mr. Lee who screamed at them the price of glaze.

Matt had some things splashed on him that were so fowl smelling he passed out at one point. That was when Linda and Lily turned on him, scribbling all over his face with mustard and ketchup before running as he woke up in the middle of their artwork.

"Traitors." He muttered as he went into a boy's bathroom only to get sprayed in the face by the sink someone had put a rubber band on. This was to his advantage however and he kept the sink on till his face was clean on condiments. He then went Linda and Lily hunting.

"WELCOME TO THE ROCK!" Someone screamed as they came out of no where and punched him with one of those toy boxing gloves "AND WHEN I SAY THE ROCK I MEAN MY FIST!"

They then escaped while Matt was holding his now red and possibly bleeding lip. He blinked several times before he could see and immediately got hit in the face with a bucket of water.

There was the sound of laughter and high fives before the attackers ran off. Matt rubbed his eyes and stumbled around a bit before he slipped on the paint covered floor of the dorm hallway. He scooted across the floor to his dorm and reached up high.

He hit at the door knob a couple times before it opened and he rolled in, covering part of the carpet with an assortment of mixtures.

He stood to find himself face to face with Mello who was climbing in the window.

"Yo." The blonde greeted as he placed his feet on the floor.

"What were you-" Matt started but was cut off as an explosion went off from the grounds behind Mello and Matt heard screams.

"Nothing much." Mello replied with a smile as he walked over to his bed. Matt went toward the window but stopped when Mello called "It's better if you don't look."

Matt blinked.

"You didn't kill anyone did you?"

"...I don't think so."

"...think?"

"Yep."

"Alright, cool."

"Yeah."

Matt yawned and stretched before letting out a cry as the budnipper Mello held snapped closed inches away from his face. The blonde had a budnipper, a lighter, two sticks of an unknown substance, cherry flavored honey, and the most dangerous thing of all: rope.

"You know killing people is a criminal offense right?" Matt asked as he watched Mello go back to the window.

"I'll keep that in mind." Mello replied as he put one leg out the window before swinging the other one through.

"Stay on your toes Matty, your in for a treat... or should I say trick?" Mello smirked before a cackle sounded from the back of his throat and he dropped out of sight.

"YEAH WELL THAT WAS CHEESY AND YOU HAD BETTER WATCH OUT- wait." Matt blinked, stopping mid breath in his threat. He ran to the window, sticking his head out to watch as Mello crossed the lawn.

"HEY!" He yelled.

"WHAT?" Mello called back, stopping and turning his head to look back at Matt.

Matt smiled and cupped his hand around his mouth "WATCH OUT FOR FALLING PIANOS!"

Mello grinned and gave a small wave of acknowledgment. Matt pulled his head back and closed the window, leaving it unlocked as he turned to beam at the room.

Matty.

Matt had a miny spazz attack, flapping around like a platypus before doing the runner man. He half break danced for a moment before straightening up, half brushing off his shoulders before straightening his clothes.

There was a sound of a swear being shouted outside in the hallway as someone slipped and Matt recognized Linda's voice. Without waiting he dropped to look under Mello's bed for weapons.

"Perfect." He smiled, picking up a water gun he had a funny feeling wasn't full of water. He sniffed the spout of the gun and his nosed wrinkled. Whatever it was it was FOWL.

"COME GET SOOOOME!" Matt roared, kicking open the door and blasting a now screaming Linda in the face with the liquid that turned out to be purple.

"KILL THE TRAITOR!" Matt cackled as the gun grew lighter till it was empty. Linda was gagging, half choking and half throwing up. Her yellow tongue was soon covered in yellow milk as she vomited it up.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Lily cried, standing at the edge of the paint mess on the ground. Matt cackled, cocking the gun "I HAVE NO IDEA!"

That was how Linda ended up in the hospital due to an allergic reaction to what the nurse assumed was traces of bee wax in the mixture.

She had erupted in hives which Matt almost made a pun if not for the murderous "I dare you" look in the part of her eyes Matt could see through the puffiness in her face.

The nurse sat her down and injected a shot after looking at the artist's medical record. Lily and Matt waited by the door near where Song was trying to calm down a shaken up Pavel. Pavel had smoke and ash on his face and clothes but looked unharmed other than a sledgehammer to the nerves.

"H-he came out of no where!" Pavel was gasping to Song who was only half listening as she struggled to stop him from rattling the whole bed. Matt put a hand on Pavel's shoulder and his hand vibrated so much he felt a bit dizzy watching it.

"What happened?" Matt asked as he pulled his hand away, calming the shaking. Pavel swallowed and almost bit off his tongue as he replied "M-mello! He just! God, I don't even know."

The poor kid looked miserable as he looked down at his clothes "My favorite shirt..."

"Seems like he's having a joyful time." Lily muttered.

"Who?"

"Our little prankster."

"...He left with rope and a lighter..."

"..."

"..."

Matt and Lily looked at each other.

"...I should have probably tried to stop him huh?"

"Imbecile!" Lily turned and, with Matt right on her heels, ran out of the infirmary.

"He could be anywhere by now!" Matt shouted as he pushed people out of the way and was hit with buckets of water as he ran.

"Do you have any idea where he's going?" Lily called back, slipping and sliding across the soaked floor.

"Lily-OH CRAP IN A BUCKET!" Matt screamed as his day got just a taaaaaaaaaad worse.

It was not crap that was sloshed down on Lily and Matt. But smelled like it and sure looked like it. But fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, for them it was only four pounds of mud mixed with glue with some mocking gummy worms thrown in with the mix.

…

Matt didn't wake up till about an hour later.

Yes, he had fainted from the smell.

And who could blame him?

He groaned and tried to roll over but found himself competently stuck to the infirmary bed he was lying in. There was a chuckled and he opened his eyes to see a smirking blonde sitting next to his bed, peeling an apple skillfully with a knife.

"Yooooou." Matt tried to lift his arm but it was also stuck to the bed.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" Mello smiled pleasantly as he finished peeling the apple and picked up a new, fully peeled, one. Matt truthfully was, but he didn't let it show on his face as he scowled "You suck."

"Yeah yeah, here." Mello tossed him a peeled apple from a large stack.

"Should I eat this?" Matt asked, not even able to smell the apple through all the crap that covered him. Mello laughed as he put down his knife and dropped the peels into a bucket "It's fine, it's not the apples I need."

Matt shifted his head so he could see inside the bucket. It was filled with different colored apple peels.

"I'm not going to even ask." Matt sighed before looking at Mello again "Help me up."

Mello looked at his nice clean hands before looking around. He smiled and pulled on a pair of nurse gloves, making Matt want to punch him.

The blonde grasped Matt's wrists and pulled. The ginger winced as his skin peeled away from his clothes before the clothes came away from the bed. The bed was all sorts of different colors and Matt smiled "A work of art!"

Mello snorted as he removed the gloves, dropping them into a wastebasket, and picked up the bucket of apple peels.

"Well, I have work to do. This was the safest place to prepare." Mello's smirk turned evil and he left Matt feeling like maybe he should stop him... naaaaaaaaah.

Matt looked around and saw Linda was asleep in one of the beds, her hives no longer red and slowly shrinking. There was no sign of Lily so Matt assumed, despite the smell, she had been fine.

"Dinner time! Please don't linger!" The nurse called to Matt as she came out of the back room with two sandwiches, one in which she put on Linda's bed side table.

Matt nodded, thanking her quickly before he ducked out of the room. He walked down a hallway or two before he was near enough to the cafeteria to hear talking students. He stopped there, sliding down the wall. He wasn't suicidal.

He checked his watch.

Half an hour.

That's how long Mello had and Matt could go without eating if it meant avoiding whatever Mello had in store for those poor orphans.

When the whole room went silent Matt knew the time of doom had come.

His chuckle echoed around the hall before screams split the air and the sound of something heavy exploding hit his ears full force.

Matt pushed himself up, laughing, and ran to look into the cafeteria. But there was to much yellow and black mist in the air for him to see.

"What did you drop on them?" Matt yelled at Mello who was whistling as he came around the corner.

"Some sand, pepper, apple peels, and a pinch of garlic powder." Mello grinned "I see you didn't fall for it. Maybe I should have prepared somewhere else."

"Uh..." Matt looked back at the lunch room door, he could still hear screaming.

That couldn't be good

…

It turned out that last little prank of Mello's hadn't really gone as planned. Both Percy and Lily were blinded by the powder and the nurse had to throughly wash and bandaged their eyes while Roger shouted at Mello for a good long hour.

Lily and Percy would be able to see again soon but the both the nurse and Roger were furious. Matt waited outside the old man's office, hearing every word of Mello's shouted lecture.

Then the blonde came out the door that was slammed violently behind him by Roger. But Mello, although scowling, didn't look overly ashamed of himself.

"So how are you being punished?" Matt asked, skipping after the blonde who was walking back toward the dorms.

"I have to clean up the whole orphanage. By myself." Mello scowled. Matt patted his shoulder "That sucks but you had it coming. They could've be-"

"Blinded, I know." Mello sighed before looking down at the edge of the paint soaked floor.

"Should we go through the window?" Matt asked but Mello just shook his head and, like an ice skater, slid smoothly over the paint that was starting to dry and was almost flat with all the people that had butt scooted across it.

Matt followed a little less gracefully but still on his feet. Matt over took the blonde as he slipped but got back up, arms out to keep his balance.

"You might as well stay down your already covered." Mello pointed out, his own clothes still spotless.

"Yeah well, I have to disable the trap I set for you and I need to be standing." Matt sighed. Mello's responding chuckle was turned into a small gasp as Matt slipped again, hitting a piece of string on the wall. The blonde slid forward, kicking Matt out of the way of a falling flour bag.

Matt hit Near's door which stayed stubbornly shut as it had all day. Mello was now sliding, out of control, and had to grabbed onto room thirteen's door. But it opened without him even turning the door handle and a bucket of water splashed down onto his head , his hands rising in time to stop the bucket from hitting him. Out of the bucket also fell a tennis ball with the word 'Piano' written on it.

He threw the bucket onto the floor and used his free hands to part his soaked hair out of his face so he could see Matt who was staring at him from the ground.

"I got you..." Matt blinked before his stunned expression turned victorious "I GOT YOU! I HIT YOU! I PRANKED YOU! TAKE THAT! HA! HA! HA!"

Mello arched an eyebrow, waiting as Matt celebrated, spinning around on the floor, whooping. The blonde tapped his foot, trying to get him to stop so he could speak but Matt wasn't stopping any time soon.

"I'm going to lock you out." Mello said, walking into the room. Matt slid in before he could close the door and he rose from the ground.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL MELS?" Matt asked, grinning for ear to ear.

"Wet." Mello replied as he began looking through his dresser after disabling a mouse trap to find dry clothes.

"Hee hee hee." Matt smirked.

"It's true you got me Matt. But do keep in mind it was only because I didn't want flour all over our room." Mello reminded him as he went into the bathroom.

Matt didn't have an answer to that. So instead he just shrugged and closed the dorm room door, locking it.

True Roger had stopped the pranks after Mello's nasty catastrophe.

But Matt wasn't going to sleep till he was sure he was safe.

He first went around, trying to find any traps set up before the banning of tricks. He found a pile of worms in his bed that he threw out the window before turning the sheet inside out to sleep on. Other than that all he found was an alarm clock that he saw was set for three in the morning... what kinda evil person would do that?

Matt threw that out the window too before almost collapsing on his bed, saving himself at the last moment. He was still covered in countless colorful mixtures. He grabbed his pajamas and took his turn in the bathroom when Mello got out.

It took him almost fifteen minutes just to get his sticky clothes off so when he finally got in the shower he was out of warm water before he had a chance to get the crap off his legs. He pushed through with cold water before coming out, rubbed raw, but clean.

Mello was already asleep in his bed, clearly wiped out.

Matt was about ready to punch him to wake up, feeling he had no right to sleep. But Matt didn't have the energy. He threw his body at the light switch till he hit it right to turn it off before belly flopping into his bed, kicking away one last worm.

…

A month passed.

Then two weeks.

Two weeks of nose grinding and finger crippling studying.

Exams were in two weeks.

Then the freedom of winter vacation.

Lily, Linda, Matt, and Mello were all working furiously in room thirteen. Taking turns shouting out words in Japanese, French, and Spanish so another could translate them into English.

"What does this even mean? I can't even pronounce it!" Matt frowned as he looked over the technically practice exam paper before looking up the ridiculously long word in the laptop dictionary.

"Arigatou gozaimasu?" Mello barked at Matt as he turned the pages in his weaponry book, pacing around the room with a chocolate bar in his mouth.

"Thank you very much." Matt replied, tossing his hair away from his goggles as he typed furiously on his computer.

"Can't believe your still on the basics." Mello grumbled as he threw the book away to pick up another.

"What do they even test you on in technology?" Lily asked as she did flash cards lightning quick with Linda who was half studying a book of famous statuses.

"They give us a firewall and we have to get through it within the time limit." Matt replied.

"You have to knock down a Chinese wall?" Linda asked, frowning as she took a break to stare at him. He snorted "Yes Linda. Of course, that makes perfect sense."

"Well you should be more specific." Linda replied with a huff, all the learning going to her head, as she looked at a picture of the Mona Lisa then looking back at a similar picture in her practice test before making a mark of what was different.

The first one to start having a breakdown was Lily.

When she couldn't find the past law case she needed... and burst into tears.

"Whoa!" Matt hurried off the bed and put as arm around her. Linda paused in her flash card flipping and Mello looked up from his book.

"I-I can't find the BB case!" Lily sobbed, knees pulled to her chest and burying her face into her arms. Matt rubbed her back lightly while Linda pushed herself up and went into the bathroom, returning with a glass of water.

"Come on Lily, you'll feel better after this." Linda said, holding the glass out. Lily drained it before hiccuping and wiping her eyes "I-I'm sorry. I know it's not really something to cry about-"

"We're all stressed." Mello said, moving to stand next to Matt.

Lily took a shuddering breath before rubbing her forehead "Sorry guys. I guess we should just go back to..."

But the sound of Mello undoing the latch on the window made her falter. He then moved to his bed and pulled a jacket out from under it. Matt arched an eyebrow before he grinned and pulled his jacket from under his bed and began pulling it on.

"Well?" Matt asked the two girls who looked at each other before snorting and stealing two of Matt's old jackets.

"Ladies first." Mello gestured to the window and Lily hopped right out, Linda close behind. Matt went next while Mello turned off the lights and locked the door before following them out.

"I do believe this is my first sneak out." Matt grinned, trembling from both excitement and cold. Mello ruffled his hair "That's why we're going to make it great."

One by one everyone stepped on Mello's clasped hands and were lifted up onto the orphanage wall. When there were all up they grasped Mello's now slightly muddy hands and hoisted him up. The male blonde then hopped down on the other side and caught the smaller people as they jumped.

Matt took one last glance back at the orphanage before he jumped. Mello steadied him before Matt rolled behind a bush.

"What are you doing?" Mello put his hands on his hips. Matt blushed, straightening up "I thought we had to stay out of sight... the spy in me just kinda kicked in."

Mello rolled his eyes before nodding at Linda who took the lead. They got off the free land that existed around the orphanage and walked along the sidewalk toward the lite up town.

"We need to be back by five." Mello said as they made a small huddle "My first lecture starts at six, besides by then people will be starting to wake up. But that gives us plenty of time."

Matt patted his pocket which held a roll of cash he had grabbed. He was ready for a full time shopping spree of awesomeness.

"Alright, so are we all going as a group?" Mello asked, him, Lily, and Linda setting their watches as he spoke and after a moment they replied "Yeah, I think for now that would be a good idea. Matt, don't yell at homeless people or kick puppies."

"I wasn't going to do anything!" Matt put up his hands. Mello laughed before he began to lead the way into the city "Matt, in this small a town I doubt there are many homeless people."

Lily snickered while Matt rolled his eyes and kicked out at the heel of Mello's shoe.

…

The only thing the four avoided as they walked was the bar near the edge of town where they could hear a party being held. They kept to the lamp lite streets, no alleys or anything like that.

Matt's grin was as big as it could get as he walked. He disregarded Mello's comment of how idiotic he looked and ignored it when Linda tried to poke his cheek, saying "Those are going to be sore..."

They went into almost every shop. Even random craft ones or mattress stores just to look around and bounce on the mattresses till they were thrown out.

Matt could barely even feel the cold anymore as they sipped hot chocolate Mello had run into a cafe to get. But when Lily commented his finger looked a bit to pale for her liking they took refuge in the clothing store Mello and Matt had once seen Arty and her crew harassing the manager of.

The teen there looked bored out of their skull as they leaned on the counter, almost drooling. Matt picked up a pair of gloves and slipped them on, leaving them attached like most pairs of clothing was, before he began to walk around a bit.

"You look like an idiot and where do you want to go after this?" Mello asked him as he lazily let his finger skim over a row of hangers.

"Game store." Matt grinned as he looked at a bubble gum pink studded belt, wrinkling his nose slightly.

"Don't like pink?" Mello snickered and Matt slid the gloves off his toasty hands as he replied "Just not that shade."

"Go find the other two." Mello told him, draining the last of his hot chocolate before disposing of the cup and going to roam in another section.

"Lily, Linda, where do you want to go next?" Matt called, finding them in the skirts section. He silently thanked God that they weren't in the underwear section as he reached them.

Lily and Linda both clamped a hand down on each of Matt's shoulders, grinning.

"W-what?" Matt asked, slightly alarmed.

"We want to go to the saloon." Lily grinned "Therefore we are abandoning you and Mello."

She nudged him in the ribs with a wink. Matt blinked, their meaning not making it through his density "What if we want to go too?"

"To bad." Lily grinned as Mello approached, a bag in his arms. They released Matt and pointed at Mello in unison "Don't get lost. We'll meet you back home!"

"Um..." Mello blinked as they blew by him, patting him on the back as they passed. He looked over his shoulder as they disappeared out the door before looking back at Matt blankly.

"Apparently we are splitting up." Matt shrugged before glancing at the bag "What's in there?"

"Nothing. It's empty." Mello replied "Now are you ready to go?"

Matt nodded, knowing both of them knew that Mello's lie was hilariously terrible. But he didn't ask again as they left the store.

"So, game store then candy store? We have about an hour left." Mello said, checking his watch. Matt grinned, taking Mello's arm and pulling him toward the game store "Then we haven't got a moment to lose! Tally ho!"

After a half an hour of Mello prying Matt off games he didn't have the system to they left with the purchase of a larger memory drive, a lime green laptop case with an over the shoulder strap, and a game called Dynasty Warriors 6. (Disclaimer, game belongs to Koei. BUT IT IS TOTALLY AWESOME! xD)

"Now that you wasted about half my life we have about fifteen minutes to spend at the candy store before we have to get going." Mello muttered, looking at his watch again while Matt rolled his eyes.

The blonde dragged the gammer toward the store where he began scanning the rows and rows of chocolates. Matt taste tested a few different taffies and gummies before joining Mello looking at the chocolate. The ginger tasted one with almonds before one with fruit bites before going to bounce on a cookie and cream kind. He had tried about twenty different kinds before Mello looked at his watch "Come on Matty. Seventeen minutes to five."

"Alright." Matt said, grabbing a free lollipop on his way out. But the bar in town had just closed and Mello and Matt had to wait another seven minutes, using common sense, till all the drinkers were out of sight.

"Let's go." Mello grabbed Matt's hand and they started running. Careful not to slip on the sidewalks wet from recent rain.

Up ahead they could see the lights in the bar going out and the last customers of the night leaving. Mello pulled Matt through an alleyway.

"Wait Mello-" Matt protested but Mello cut him off as he spoke quickly "It's faster and possibly safer this way."

Matt nodded, his breath visible in the air as he looked at the wet walls on either side of him. Mello's strides grew faster as the other side of the alley came into sight. They passed a doorway where a man was curled up into a blanket, a bottle in his hand. Matt stared but Mello jerked him on "Don't look at them Matt."

Mello stopped however when an argument up ahead could he heard and shadows were visible on the ground at the exit of the alley.

"Turn back Matt." Mello's voice was tense now as he turned and ruffly turned Matt around, steering him back. Matt stumbled but didn't fall, to frightened to speak.

Mello pulled Matt into a doorway, trying to squeeze out of sight as the shouting grew louder. He put a hand over Matt's mouth and listened hard. But after a moment it stopped all together and after a minute or two of nothing Mello released him.

"This isn't good." Mello whispered as he looked left and right before stepping out of the door way, grabbing Matt's wrist. He kept to the shadows as much as he could as he and Matt inched toward the other side of the alley, no longer concerned with time.

A man staggered into their path, stumbling through the alley.

"Back up." Mello whispered and Matt slowly began backing up. Mello following him, trying not to step on his toes as he kept his eyes glued to the man. There was a flash of silver and from the man's pocket a gun was drawn.

"M-mello." Matt whispered and Mello's grip tightened on his wrist.

"It's okay." Mello whispered.

"Who's there?" The man called, his voice slurred.

"He's intoxicated." Mello muttered, his voice a dead calm. Matt stumbled and Mello jerked him straight, pushing him to go faster.

"Just no sudden sounds or movements." Mello whispered "Just maintain an even rhythm."

They were only a few feet away from the alley entrance when their doom came.

Mello's watch started beeping.

A shot rang out.

Matt's lollipop fell and cracked on the ground, shattering into fragments of gleaming red crystal.

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long... I was avoiding editing this by writing other stories. Anyway I can't predict when I'll next update but I'll do it as soon as I can. Love all my reviewers and hope you all keep reading! Please R&R! ^-^