Disclaimer: I do own or make money from the anime/manga Death Note

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Suggested Listening: Gun by CHVRCHES

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Part 19

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Mello was seated leisurely on one of the beds when Matt pushed the door open, affecting an air of calm that dissolved once the door was shut.

"Why didn't you tell me you got violent before you left?"

Matt froze. He looked to Mello sharply, appraisingly. "Roger talked to you." It was a statement, not a question, so Mello didn't respond. Matt sighed and pulled out a cigarette. Mello noted the increasing need for them the longer they stayed at Wammy's. If Matt smoked this much in a single day, Mello could only imagine how much he will have smoked after a week there.

His poor lungs...

"What else are you not telling me about that time?" Mello asked before silently kicking himself. He probably should have broached the subject better, but now that it was out in the open, he waited, somewhat patiently.

Matt's mouth opened and closed for a moment before he stilled, cigarette silently spewing toxins into the air. Matt sighed heavily before wheeling across the room, though not to Mello's side. Instead, he stopped by the window.

"It's not really important. Yeah, I was angry at you for leaving, but I was furious at Wammy's House for causing it." Matt looked over at him, and though Mello wanted to deny it, there was at least some truth to it; he would have been lying had he said otherwise.

"Roger constantly reminded me that you had left so I was ranked second and had to step up to the plate, that my overall score was a full ten points behind Near's. He was convinced that if I tried, I could do better than you. He only wanted to make sure Near still had competition. Roger reminding me that I was alone hadn't helped me 'behave'. I only lasted six months before I couldn't take it. But you already knew that's why I left."

"What about Wammy?"

"I may or may not have attempted to shove him down the staircase."

Mello blanched.

Matt had…

Matt had what?!

"Don't look at me like that. If you had been here, you would have known how bad it got. More tests, less free time. Wammy didn't and still doesn't care about us. We are his pawns. We are nothing."

Mello silently urged Matt to continue on; he was the only one who could tell him these things, would tell him. He couldn't rely on the truthfulness of what the caretakers of this institution would tell him, and none of the other previous Wammy ten would even think about speaking to him civilly. But Matt ignored his look of interest.

"You wanted to know what else I haven't told you? I never learned how to drive." Matt smiled ruefully at him, knowing the information would come as a shock.

"That day hadn't been a good day for more than the obvious. I had been fired for falling asleep at my workstation, even though it was only a minute past my lunch break. That guy just never liked the fact that I knew more about technology than him, had said I was too young to know all that. I was tired, hungry, and unemployed with no money for rent. I loved his car, so when I left, I took it." Matt shrugged as though the consequences didn't bother him anymore.

How hard must it be to live with the fact that part of the reason you were stuck in a wheelchair was your own actions? It was hardly a wonder that Matt had been more than a little bitter and jaded when Mello had first found him. All those years on his own with the constant reminder that he had done that to himself...

Mello didn't offer any useless words of comfort, knowing it wouldn't really be appreciated. "Want to get lunch?" Mello asked instead. Matt grinned suddenly, and Mello ignored the fluttering in his chest. It wasn't the time or place to deal with that problem.

"Yeah, lunch sounds good. It's a bit early, so we should be ok to raid the kitchen without getting in anyone's way." That and the children would be in class, Mello added silently.

The kitchen wasn't as quiet as they had thought it would be; luckily none of the ten were there. Though Mello wondered if it shouldn't be 'seven' since three of the 'ten' were obsolete. The kitchen staff was already beginning preparations for lunch service despite lunch being at least two hours away.

Mello rolled his eyes at the few nasty looks they received at opening the fridge. Matt waited patiently as Mello grabbed cheese, mayonnaise, and spinach and tossed it onto his lap. Mello grabbed a loaf of bread and cut four slices. None of the range tops were being used, and after a moment of fumbling around, he had a pan out for use.

With the staff in there watching their every move, Mello wanted something quick and simple to make that wouldn't make a huge mess. Grilled cheese and spinach sounded like the perfect dish for that.

It didn't take long to make it either, though Mello noted the look of disbelief Matt affected at the leaves of spinach going on the sandwich. Matt would eat it regardless. Mello put the small lunch on sheets of paper towel and handed them to Matt while he put everything away.

He went to wash the pan and was shooed away. "Just get out of our kitchen."

Mello raised an eyebrow at the older woman but conceded. For now, at any rate. If he happened to mutter something unsavory while exiting, only he and Matt would have heard.

"They were pleasant, weren't they?" Matt grinned as Mello began to push him down the hallway, and for once, Mello had to agree with Matt's sarcasm. Mello didn't know if it was the fact that it was them or just because someone was in the kitchen while they were. Either way, Mello hoped it wouldn't be like that every time they needed food.

"This is good, surprisingly," Matt commented as they reached their room; Mello hadn't even realized Matt had started eating.

"Thanks, but don't sound so surprised. I can cook something easy like grilled cheese."

"You put spinach and mayonnaise on it, excuse me for questioning your sanity."

Mello scoffed and snatched his sandwich from Matt's lap, ignoring Matt's amused grin. His grandma had always made grilled cheese like that, and Mello had never gotten out of the habit of putting those extras on it.

Mello noted the mood change the second lunch was finished, and he sat on the desktop as Matt eyed him.

"You know, you weren't the only one not happy with being told we had to conform to the new rankings."

Mello didn't doubt that. What he did doubt was the rest of the ten's willingness to conform just to beg for scraps of the L title.

"Wammy went off on some spiel about how we were indebted to this place for the care we were given as children as well as the education we received that most of us couldn't have dreamed of in any other place." Matt snorted at the end of it, clearly amused by the faulty logic.

Most of the residents of Wammy's hadn't asked to be there. It was a common theme; being forced to take a test at their current orphanage, only to be removed and brought to Wammy's if their scores were good enough. That, in Mello's eyes, meant he owed them nothing.

"Things really went downhill for a while after that, a lot of arguing and threatening mostly on Wammy's part. I am unsurprised to say, however, that there was the lingering interest in the 'offer' despite the threats."

"There is nothing that Wammy could threaten me with that would make me want to fall in line. I did my time here, and I escaped. There is no way I'm coming back." Mello was certain on that.

"They have your name. It wouldn't be hard to publicize it," Matt pointed out.

"And should that happen, the location and all of the information on Wammy's House would mysteriously crop up the same day, as well as the fact that the real L is dead." Mello would not be held hostage by his own name and face.

Matt shrugged. "Hopefully it won't come to that. The last thing we need is Wammy gunning for us. I'll help if something does go down. As you know, I have gotten quite good at hacking. Sending something viral or taking over the news outlets wouldn't really be a problem."

Mello grinned. If Wammy was stupid enough to start something like that, Mello knew it wouldn't be a piece of cake. It would come down to who had the most influence and resources; Wammy could very well have any sort of scandal swept under the rug with enough money tossed around.

"We have another meeting today, you know?"

"We what?"

Matt grinned, and Mello almost though he would be a smart ass and repeat himself. Instead, Matt simply nodded. "Yeah, in the dining hall this time though. It will be after dinner, and we are all required to attend like last time. I have a feeling it will be more of the same with Wammy trying to wheedle us into compliance."

Mello frowned. "What's his aim?"

"I was wondering that too. It's not like Near is about to drop dead anytime soon, and as far as I know, he isn't doing any sort of dangerous cases at the moment or L's name would be flying around. So why this?"

Mello paced around the room as he thought. "Does it have to do with our dead? Or Geoffrey, who is in the asylum?"

"What do you mean, Mello?"

"I think it might be time for you to do some digging. It might not be important, but Wammy never mentioned how Jordan and Kerry died or why Geo is in the nut house." Could Wammy be covering something up? Mello supposed it was more than possible.

"You think Geo killed them? That has to be the most ridiculous thing you have come up with. Geo was afraid of his own shadow and had OCD. There is no way..."

"I'm not saying he did, but you can't count that theory out. People change, Matt. You know that very well. There is something going on here, and until we find out all the facts, we can't understand what is going on with this place." Near had not even known about the rankings. That showed a serious lack of communication between Wammy and L.

Mello knew for a fact that so long as Wammy was alive, he would play the role of Watari for whomever was the current L. It didn't make any sense to keep something like that from Near, unless Near was also a part of Wammy's current scheme.

Mello watched as Matt pulled out his laptop and began to type away. Whatever Wammy was hiding, they would find it. And after that... Wammy couldn't force them to do anything.

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-End Part 19-

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AN: :) yup another update. I am now however, caught up with what i've sent the beta. So we will see when this updates again.. I might finally start my edits for "Who the (bleep) Did I Marry?" and post that like I was supposed to XD

Also, for those reading the newly posted Art of Superstition—i am working on it! I just have a lot of real-life crap on my plate right now. Work wipes me out and kills my muse. But I will post as I complete chapters :)

anywho...

Special thanks to all the lovely last chapter reviewers (who didn't give me up for dead haha): LeatherxStripes, Darcy18, issagokurosaki, Keono, Deadly Nightshade1395, Anifan13

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