(Near P.O.V)

I sat in silence whilst in Mello's presence. I knew by the look in his eyes that he wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone. Not even Matt. I worried for him a bit, knowing what bottling his emotions did to him. But I had the strangest feeling that this was more personal than he'd like to admit.

Mello, Matt, and I were all sitting silently in L's empty room. Mello had been glued to his laptop reading an email I suspected that L had sent. Matt had been playing his game, as per usual, but would look up every ten minutes to see if Mello was alright. The blonde didn't move from his spot though, so he kept on playing his game. I myself was constructing a dice tower out of boredom. I hadn't been noticing the many times I lifted my head to make sure Mello hadn't moved. I am willing to admit that this behavior of Mello's scared me immensely. I worried he'd do something he'd regret since L wasn't here to help him.

Thankfully, this silence didn't last long.

"L has an interesting past." The blonde commented.

Matt perked up immediately. "Is that what you've been reading?"

Mello nodded. "He sent me an email about what he remembered from his childhood, and what he's been doing since. Apparently, Watari found him stealing sweets from a café here in England. When he asked for his name, he wouldn't comply. He simply gave himself the name 'L'."

"Why the secrecy?"

Mello blinked. "Perhaps it's for the same reason I made. Maybe it was because he hiding from someone. He didn't specify.

"What intrigues me, is that he mentions us more than anything else."

"Us? You mean, all three of us?" Matt asked in perplexity. "What do you mean?"

Mello turned the laptop to face us. "Take a look."

Me being as intrigued as the red-head, I looked over as well. What I read was truly admirable.

'My greatest achievement in my life was finding the three students to top Wammy's Orphanage. Near, Matt, and Mello. All of them have had my admiration and trust for the years they have been in my life.

'Near – though small and untrained in physical defense, has the intelligence to match my own. Not one for physical confrontation, I noticed he preferred to out maneuver his attackers – be it carnal or mental – by using his wits. Watari had informed me that he was found alone in America, his homeland, and had no idea of his intelligence until much later on. I am very glad to have had a chance to mentor such a promising successor. I truly see a future for this young lad.'

I didn't say anything. It was touching that L thought so highly of me, but I was interested to see what else there was.

'Matt – a very charismatic young boy. One whose smile never seems to dampen in a world full of hate and rot. His observational skills have come in handy more times than not, though he wastes them on his video games without a care. Not only this, but his loyalty is beyond compare. He has shown time and time again that he'd sooner die for his friends than allow them to commit self-harm.

'Such a case is with Mello.

'Upon being found by the blonde, the two have never been separated. I admire the friendship Matt gained with Mello in their lifetime – a friendship I myself never knew of – and the trust and bond the two acclaimed in one another. It was difficult to ever see Matt without Mello, or vise-versa. I am happy to know that the two have this friendship, and I hope it will remain as strong as it is now for the years to come.'

I turned to look at Matt, who seemed to have cried a little since he had taken his goggles off to un-fog them.

"Why did he send you this stuff, Mel?" He asked silently. I suppose he didn't trust his voice at the moment.

Mello didn't answer. He simply took Matt's goggles, cleaned them with a handkerchief, the place the gently back over his eyes. "You know you get headaches when you take off your goggles, Matt. Now come on. Dinner's almost ready, and you know Roger gets upset when we're late."

Mello took Matt's hand and walked him to the door. "Come on, Near. You too."

I silently stared at him for a bit.

For the last three days Mello had been acting weird around us. He didn't look at me like I was a nuisance or a freak, had been keeping Matt and I as close as possible. He had stopped raising his voice, hadn't cursed, or even mouthed off to a teacher or adult. I speculated that this had to do with L's talk a few days before. I found his behavior odd myself, but why had he wanted to speak to Mello alone? Had he said something to make him change his attitude?

I looked down at the dice in my hands. Maybe the email…

"No. I'm not hungry."

"You sure? You know Roger won't let you sneak food later."

I nodded. "I'm fine."

Mello sighed. "Alright then."

The two friends walked out the door and were out of sight. I took the chance to read the rest of L's email about his successors. Since me and Matt had already been mentioned, there was one last person for him to mention; Mello.

When I began reading, I didn't expect… well… I just didn't expect this.

'Mello – what is there to say about this kid that hasn't already been said? He's been considered a menace at Wammy's and has been known to throw fits of rage without warning. He's caused many of the kids to hide in fear of him, and his anger towards everything seems to be boundless…

'But at the same time… I love this child like my own brother.

'When we first saw the extent of his anger, many of the adults feared the worst. Children did not want him as a friend, and others thought he was a mental-case. I, however, saw a different story.

'I saw a child, who was so alone in the world, he believed his place to be alone for his entire life. He had been beaten, broken, discarded, harassed, and emotionally drained throughout his entire adolescence. When I first found him on the eve of that cold December day, he had been a lost five-year-old with nowhere to turn to. I worried he had just lost his way until I saw the bruises. When he told me of his father, I knew I had to save him from this hell.

'Some of the other children resented him because he got more attention from me, but I'm not sure that this bothered him. I admired that strength.

'I still admire this strength. The strength to keep on trying to face another day. The strength to keep on walking down a path so determined to kill him and his spirit. He faces the world each day, knowing a hell unlike any other. The rotten world he was born into, the one that tries each day to throw more rot into it, and still… he keeps trudging on.

'How many times I looked at this child. How many times I had seen his eyes contort from anger, to fear, to sadness, and back again. I admired his strength. But I idolized his emotions. The ones he truly felt… and the ones he practiced for others. He smiled through the internal pain for Matt, making sure his friend wouldn't be left to the world all alone. The determination he showed for me whenever we spoke, to insure my trust in him was not wasted.

'And the feign kindness he will show Near, to keep his promise to me.

'My successors will always have a place in my heart. I trust them to carry on what I leave behind in this world. Near, Matt, and Mello. My successors.

'My brothers.

'My family.

'I leave them to the world as one of my greatest achievements.'

I felt my heart sink at this. L had made Mello promise him something. But what? Why? There were so many questions rolling around in my head, I almost couldn't breathe.

I sat back down on the floor and began to think. It was no use though. I could only come to one conclusion, but I hated to think of it. I didn't want to think this was the end of the line for L, but if it was… then had he made his decision? Would it be me or Mello? I hadn't cared at the time who he'd chosen. But, knowing what I know now… I admired him more for it.

A/N: I have mentioned this in the past, but I may have to make a part 2 soon. Not that I don't want to continue with this specific story, but I'm thinking it's beginning to be a bit too long.

If I do make a part 2, I will let you all know - unless you want me to continue on through THIS side - but, until then, enjoy!

Reviews appreciated!