Chapter thirty-eight- To play: part two.

The duo stared at the welcoming hand with a sense of nostalgia and longing. "Guys," her voice came again, more commanding. "Take my hand."

Mello, the tougher one, was the first of the two to grasp the outstretched hand. Matt's shakier demeanor still held an air of control, though you didn't exactly have to look closely to see how much he wanted the contact. He took her hand eventually, but he was slow about it.

Misa cocked her head slightly and smiled encouragingly at him. "Okay, my young pupils, the first rule of childhood is to be childish." They stared at her like she was an idiot. She frowned and added, "Trust me, it's harder than it sounds."

At this point, Mello chipped in. "How so? We know how to be childish, but that doesn't mean we're not mature."

Misa groaned at the prodigy. He was acting too smart for this. "No, Mello, you're thinking like an adult. Kids don't think like adults, they think like children. You need to be in a child's mindset."

Mello's face morphed into that of distaste, but said nothing. Matt watched on starry-eyed. Misa continued, "The second rule is the aim for fun. Think PLAYFULLY, and you'll be playing in no time. Tell me what you guys are thinking about."

Matt went first. "I see math and bright, swirly colors, and Bowser's laughing at me from the corner. Need video game..."

Mello sighed. "Great. You got him into a withdrawal! Now he's gonna be so hard to deal with."

Misa ignored him and responded, "What do you see, Mello?"

"I'm not playing your dumb game. I've got more pride than th-"

"What do you see, Mello?" Her voice was getting frustrated and she didn't even bother to hide it.

He slowly relented and closed his eyes. "I see pixies and Tinkerbell's waving at me."

"Really?!"

He opened his eyes and rolled them. "Yeah, and don't even get me started on the mermaids," he quipped sarcastically, "No, Misa! This is stupid."

She stomped her foot and gave him a tiny pout. "No, this is being a child."

"It's too hard!"

"Life's too hard. As a great man once told me 'get over it'. There's no sense in letting self-pity overwhelm you. You'll only be doing it to yourself."

He kicked the dirt with a rough foot before calming down. "Fine. What else is one the list."

She smiled slightly. "Have fun. You may be emotionally mature, but you're chronologically children. Do what's in your instinct."

Instinct? She makes us sound like animals... Mello pondered. I wonder if there's a connection...

"Misa, can you play with us?" Matt asked uncharacteristically timid.

The girl in question beamed brightly at the two. "But of course! What type of mother would I be if I left you two to play alone. Besides, I happen to be quite the child."

"There's an understatement," Mello murmured.

With a "mother" like her, where would they go wrong?

Six pairs of feet hit the ground hard. Misa chased the two as they ran from the crazy model. "What's the point of this?!" Matt yelled over the wind.

"To have fun!" She replied, laughing like a maniac.

"Is fun the only thing you think about?" Mello growled, his exhaustion coming across in rage.

"Yes! And you will too, if you're a kid."

Matt felt his chest tighten. "What are we playing anyway?! Some kind of quest game?"

Mello rolled his eyes and stopped. The other did the same. "No, you idiot," he rasped out, "This isn't your stupid virtual world. It's reality."

Misa had figured even these two would understand the rules of tag. But if they wanted to call it by some other name... "Yes, this is Quest!" She declared.

"Shall we smite thy foe, Romeo?" Matt asked.

"Whoa, if I'm Romeo, who's Juliet?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Julian. And that is I, brother!"

Mello inwardly groaned. He knew he was making a vital mistake. "Since where are we brothers, you dweeb?"

"Aye, since our mother dearest's lying-in."

"Would you please stop talking like that?"

"Nay! I say. Thou should learn to be patient, thou brother. We must fight thy friendly foe with everything we've got!"

If Matt was assigning characters, "Who am I then, my good Sir?" Misa asked.

"Sir Julian? I've never heard of it! But I like it immensely. For that, my lady, you shall be the lady Elaine or the Lily Maid."

Misa grinned and fell into an elegant bow. "That said, my sir, shall we rescue the damsel in distress?"

"Aye!"

"And you, Sir Romeo, what say you?"

"Yay!" Mello muttered sarcastically.

"Then let us do this!"

Firm, dark eyes stared out from a mop of unruly, black hair. Maybe this was a mistake, after all...

With Misa, things could only get worse.

"L!" Misa complained. "We've run out of players!"

"What do you want me to do about it?"

She groaned. "Why do I even have to explain this?! It's obvious... You've got to be the princess!"

He gave her a doubtful look. "No. I am L and L I shall be."

Misa thought about it for a moment. "Then you shall be Lla." She turned towards Matt, who was, after all, the official name assigner. He nodded his approval.

"If thee maiden says it, thee maiden gets it!" He declared.

L flinched and glared at the younger boy. Loathing burned bright in those eyes. "I'm not a princess, let alone a girl. And my name's not Lla. It's L. Mello, back me up here."

Mello had a chance to be devious. Of course he was gonna take it. "Hm, sorry? What did you say, damsel? You wish the dragon would let you free?"

"I hate you guys. What are we playing?"