A nice little teaser chapter, before the long stuff.

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Full night had come over the forest and the campers were still trekking through the forest looking for their Lost Lassie. Or rather some seemed to be actually looking. Light and Mello were just shining their flashlights around aimlessly hoping Matsuda would crash through the trees.

"In order to find someone you have to look. I don't think you're doing a very good job of that." Near said to Mello as he slapped the flashlight from his face for the tenth time. "If you're just going to shine the light into my eyes then shut it off. Your wasting batteries."

"Nyah, Nyah, Nyah. I just want to get back. Honestly, I don't care what happens to the idiot. I already bet Satan over there that he got eaten by a bear. $50 heading my way once we find the body." said Mello as he waved the Light in Matt's face annoyingly.

Light shined his light on Mello. "You mean $50 coming my way. It's more likely he fell off the side of a cliff. He hardly ever watches where he's going. And it's stupid to say that he'll get abducted by aliens..."

Matt pouted, "It could be true! You know in forests like this that alien ships land and try to steal humans. It could happen any moment know."

"You've forgotten one thing: I don't think Matsuda's human. Neither is our ring leader for that matter." Near said blatantly so that L (who was at the front of the group) could hear.

L glanced back for a few seconds, then resumed shining his light around and calling Matsuda's name every now and again. "Here Matsui, Matsui, Matsui! Come out of the tree you're hiding in and get back to camp! Everyone's worried sick!"

"The hell I am."

"Fuck that."

"No I'm not."

"Whatever."

I'm not really worried either but that's not going to make him come out any faster. L thought as he continued to shine the light around. I sincerely hope he got abducted by aliens, then at least he'd be among his own kind and not mauled by a bear...

Suddenly a noise broke L out of his thoughts. Rustling, in the bushes yonder. The group froze and trained their lights on the same bush directly to the right of them. And waited tensely. Maybe the search was over and they could all get back to camp.

And the search was over.

Matsuda came shooting out of the bushes, arms and legs scraped and twigs in his hair. He knocked into Light, knocking both of them off their feet and into Matt, who squealed as he was trapped under two grown men.

"GET OFF, GET OFF! Help, suffocating! Help, help!" Matt shouted as he thrashed around on the ground.

Light roughly shoved Matsuda off of him and got to his feet. "About time we find you dumbass. How long were you going to pretend to be Robin Hood and get eaten by mosquitoes? Let's head back now L, I don't want to spend another minute out here."

But L was helping the scattered Matsuda off the ground. "Matsuda? Matsuda, what's wrong? You look even more spastic than usual. Come on, speak. I can't get you to shut up on most days."

Matsuda seemed dazed, then as he looked at the group around him a spark came back into his eyes. "L! Light! Little devil children! We have to GO RIGHT NOW! Before we DIE! COME ON! I DON'T WANNA DIIIIIIEEEE!"

"What the hell is he going on about?!" Mello said already fed up with finding him. "Go get lost again."

But L was again calming Matsuda down. "Breathe, okay? Now, why do we need to run or die? Scared of the black shape on the ground? That's your shadow."

Matsuda slapped L's hands away fiercely and shouted, "BECAUSE OF THE DAMN BEAR!"

Enter bear stage right. Exit people stage left.

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Don't you love me? I'm perfectly lovable.