(Matt P.O.V)

My heart broke for Mello when I had gotten the news. How could they do that to him?! How could they replace and forget about him like that!? I swear my anger had reached critical heights when L had told me.

L and Watari had gotten worried for Mello when the Blonde wouldn't leave his bed for anything. Not for food, water, or even chocolate. He barely got up for bathroom breaks, and that was only because I had to urge him out of his bed. He just wallowed silently in his bed in some deep depression we'd never seen from him before. There were times I'd hear him cry at night and there was nothing I could do to help him. It wasn't until a few days later that we learned the truth.

L had us all stay in Germany until he could solve what had made Mello so depressed. He secretly surveyed Mello's family and found that they had all forgotten him. They even added a new child to the family. When I had heard this, it only made too much sense. Mello had been abandoned and forgotten. They never looked for him either, no records on them showed it. They never once tried to find him. Not even his own mother, the one woman he loved so dearly and completely, and the one person who made his life shine just a bit brighter. She no longer cared. And for that, my anger only rose.

Those of you who have been reading, you know I'm not an angry or violent person. In fact, I'm usually a happy guy who wants others to smile with me, albeit with some pretty lame jokes. But in this one moment, for the very first time, I wanted to hurt someone. Namely, Mello's mother. I suppose it brought up some old memories of my father telling me my own mother had ran off after my birth, so it was refreshing to hear from my best friend that he didn't have that kind of selfish woman in his life. He had a mom, one that supposedly loved him. And, as a child, you believe your mother loves you. How could she not love you? She carried you, gave birth to you, and gave you a life to live. How does someone throw away all that and not feel guilty? No, I'm not a violent person, but I certainly wanted to be in this one instance. Just for Mello… just for him. Though I doubt a ten year old such as myself could do a lot of damage.

I tried not to cry when L threw the papers on the counter on the kitchen. He was just as sad and angry as I was.

"Not one police report of a missing son. They crossed him out from all their records. There isn't even a celebration of life, or mural. They simply made it so they had only one son."

"Please calm down, L." Watari said calmly and smoothly. "I'm upset about this too, but there's nothing that can be done."

"They burned any record on Mello. I don't know how, but they did. These people…" L stopped when his voice began to raise. I knew he didn't want me or Near to feel scared at this point. "These people shouldn't be allowed to have kids. First the father beats him, tries to kill him, and then, all of a sudden, has a new child!? Without even looking for his other son!? I just…"

I could tell that L was as fed up and angry as I was. Even Near was shaking in anger. It was just infuriating to hear all of this. Even L, Mr. Calm and Cool, was throwing his hands up in frustration.

When Watari had L calmed down a bit, he continued. "The only thing we know about Mello and his past anymore, is that his last name is Keehl. Other than that, nothing. If I knew anything more, not only could I certainly have them all arrested, but I could separate those heartless bastards from their other kids."

"Now L, you know that's not the way to handle this." Watari spoke more like a father chastising his child at this point. "Mello doesn't need any more stress than what he has now. I understand your contempt, but going out of your way to avenge him will only get both you and him into trouble."

"Still, no child should be abandoned and forgotten. A police report, or something. Instead, they chose to wipe the very memory of him like he was a speck of dust. It's just disgusting."

I couldn't have agreed more with him. What they did was terrible, and now Mello was suffering alone in his bed. I wished that there was more I could've done, but I suppose the most I could do was make sure he wasn't alone.

Near followed me to the room the three of us shared, I suppose wanting to help as well, and as I entered he was still there. His own sanity probably wilting away as he hid under his covers. His eyes were a bit puffy from crying, but he hid it well by not looking at us. He was always trying to be stronger than he was capable of being, and I guess that's why he had so much respect from me. Because even if he was hurting more than anyone else before all this, he straightened his stance and kept moving forward. But now that he hit this brick wall, he wasn't sure what to do.

I inched my way closer to him, not caring if he wanted to see me or not. When I climbed into his bed, he still said nothing. Not even when Near joined me. He just stopped caring.

I didn't know if I'd be able to get to him or not… but I had to try.

"Mels, I know you feel bad right now. But I promise you it'll get better."

He grabbed some of his blanket and covered his head. Obviously this was hurting him a lot more than I thought. Still, I persisted.

"You don't need them, you know. They're… they're not…" I couldn't find the words. I felt like I was only going to make matters worse.

Finally, I just let out my frustration.

"You know what, you can lie here and be sad and angry, depressed or not, but the fact is; they're terrible people! I mean, what family forgets their own son!? What family would forget about you, the most awesome person on the face of the earth?! I know you loved your mother, and I know she meant a lot to you. But the fact of the matter is, she's just as terrible as your father! And I know you'll hate me for saying all this, but screw her! She didn't love you, not like we do! Me, L, even Near, we all love you more than that bitch ever could!" I knew what I was saying was probably not helping him, but he wasn't exactly stopping me either. "And you wanna know why we love you so much? Because we're a family. And family means we love each other no matter what, no matter the faults or the attitudes. Because with a family, you care for each other and you make each other happy in their darkest days."

Mello still didn't come out from under his blanket. Yet, I continued.

"Family, to me, isn't who you were born to live with. Family is the people who catch you when you fall, the people who keep you warm when you're freezing. They're the ones who go out of their way to make you smile, the ones who can stop the tears with just a hug. I know all this, because when I had nothing to begin with, when my mom ran away and my grandmother died, when my father got high and threw knives at me… it wasn't them that had made me happy. It was when you found me, when you cared enough to help me out and take me in, it made me happy. Because, for the first time in my life, I had a family. I had people who loved me unconditionally and without question.

"I know your mom made you feel better when you were younger. But you don't have just her anymore. You have me, and L, even Near! You never have to worry about us abandoning you, because we love you. Because we're family. And even though we don't share the same blood, we have a stronger bond between the four of us than we ever did with the people we once had a life with."

Mello was still now. The only thing I could see was the gentle breathing through the cover. When I looked back at Near he too was still. There was some emotion behind his eyes, a first for me, but no real tears. I knew the kid felt the same as I did.

Everything I said was true to. We all cared for each other, L, Near, and myself. We all cared about Mello, and of course he cared for us. But I suppose he never saw himself as part of a family before. I had hoped this would help him to see differently.

When he still would not move from under his blanket, I sighed. "Well, I guess that's all I have to say. We'll leave you alone now."

I jumped from the bed with Near on my tail. We had just opened the door when I heard a faint voice from behind us.

"Matt,"

I turned to see the blonde, emotional wreck, himself peeking out just a little bit. His eyes were a bit puffier now, and his cheeks seemed to darken in shade. Had he been crying? From what I said?

He continued. "You promise not to leave me?"

I smiled a bit and ran to hug him. He hugged back with the same might force I had around his neck. "I promise to never leave or abandon you. You're my family. More than anyone ever will be."

He hugged tighter now, the tears rolling down his face. It was probably the first time he ever really let go of the tears and cried in front of me. Like I said, he always wanted to be strong for those around him… even if it meant losing his sanity.

Near didn't join in on the hug right away. It wasn't until Mello opened up the hug for him that he gave a small grin and joined in the middle. Mello wasn't completely heartless, and even if he did dislike Near, I wouldn't believe that he hated him. Families like ours didn't hate each other. We had our differences, or didn't get along, but hate? No, we couldn't hate one another. There's just too much energy wasted on hate. It was so much simpler to love one another.

Though, after that day, I don't think Mello ever hugged Near again. In fact, I'm almost too sure he'd deny ever have hugging him in the first place. That didn't make us any less of a family though. And it made me happy to see Mello thinking the same way as me for once.

A/N: This story needed a little more love for once. It's so much easier on the soul to have something happy in your life. :)

Reviews are welcomed