Death: I apologize for the long wait. It will take some time to update some of my other fanfics, since I spent a lot of time on this one. On word doc this was thirteen pages long, when usually a chapter is around eight to ten pages or so. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy.
Yes, I named the title of this chapter after the song Disturbia by Rihanna.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 6 – Disturbia
=3=
Over the years at Whammy's House, there had been rumors that gradually transformed into stories. Most of them were not comical, or met with a happy ending. To Light these stories were melodramatic and, at the time, exaggerated facts.
As a serious individual by nature Light paid no attention to the rumors of gossip from bored children. He thought they were idly chattering about anything and somehow warped their ideas into a story that was made up. Light preferred to keep up a performance, one that strived to show everyone that he was different than the other children.
His reasons, however, were a little selfish. He secretly sought to succeed the courses in order to apply for a job, namely a forensic artist. He wasn't sure what category to choose from, hence there are four, but Light was starting to lean towards the image modification category. This category specializes with manipulating a photographic image of missing children or fugitives and compile what they might look like at the present time.
Light only took an interest in this field because he wanted to compile his own image of his little sister. Although it'll be difficult from using her face just from memory, but his memories were sharp. In a sense the teen has photographic memory, but it was a talent that made it known only with people who were very close to him.
And Japan was always his home in his heart. Over time Light began to miss what once was. He knew he couldn't brood over those early memories of his family, thus he took upon studying in order to busy his mind. In a way he was killing two birds with one stone. His drive to have the perfect image while distracting his mind from old memories.
And thus, he found rumors to be annoying. He needed to know all of the facts presented to him before adding his own input. If it was just someone stating their own opinions more than actual facts, Light will tune that person out and forget about the conversation altogether.
When Mu had still been his roommate, he made it a mission to know all of the rumors going about at Whammy's. Light didn't know how many times they butted heads over what to talk about, when all Mu wanted was to tell Light about the latest rumor while the latter wanted nothing to do with them.
Eventually, Mu got the message and stopped bringing up the latest rumor when they hung out. And for that their friendship grew stronger, now that Light didn't have to tune out even his only friend at Whammy's.
But there was one rumor that managed to reach his ears. At first, he paid no attention to it. This was one of the few rumors that forever circulated around at Whammy's and became a story.
The story starts with the first generation of the orphanage. It first started with A and B.
A was supposedly a brilliant boy with a good future ahead of him. He was the first to be recommended as part of the Backup Program. A was shy, as most children were, and loved to spend time in the library studying. He studied endless amount of books from within the library, no matter the language or how old the books were.
Then there was B. He was the odd one. He always smiled awkwardly in a creepy sort of way that drove everyone away from him. Apparently he had a thing for strawberry jam, and no matter what other food he was given B will pile enough sugar that would have surely given him diabetes. Somehow B was never diagnosed with that condition, how that was no one would ever come up with the answer.
So as an outcast B also began to hang out in the library alone. He didn't necessarily read books, though. Instead he would just sit in a chair, knees to his chest, and simply watched. He watched the other children, unblinkingly, and devoid of any expression.
And within a short amount of time only A and B were the only ones who hung out in the library. It was during this time that these two came to be known as friends. However, with his only encounter with B to count on, Light didn't believe that those two were simply friends.
As described from the rumors, A became less talkative. He had grown more withdrawn, and apparently easily frightened. If anyone would even so much as tap his shoulder A would jump with a startled expression. Light didn't know if that was fact or exaggeration, but he had a hunch that something was wrong. And that something, he guessed, was B.
What happened next was the clincher. A was gradually starting to lose sleep, therefore his grades faltered. At some point it became known that he wouldn't be applicable to become a backup. So before he lost his assigned letter, A committed suicide, dying with what little dignity (if any) he had left.
From that point on the responsibility fell on B's shoulders. At this time, it was noted that B was colder, more blunt, and maybe a little more sadistic. He would smear his toast and coat it with large amounts of jam, and whatever amount that fell off he used as a sort of finger painting on the table. Of what he wrote or drawn with jam on the table, no one knew. And this part of the story Light wasn't quite sure if it was true at all (although he wasn't entirely surprised if B ever did such a thing).
And for whatever reason B would sometimes break away from his routine of sitting in the library and sit anywhere that met his fancy. Of course he still watched the other children, but he went to whatever place at random and never seemed to develop a routine the other children could predict. With given time, the other children at Whammy's grew to ignore his presence completely.
A few times B would show interest in a few of the other children, namely the ones that showed potential. B had the ability to analyze everyone, studying their personality, how they interacted, and how well known they were in the orphanage. If there was gossip of someone who was new and relatively better than some of the older children then B would immediately know.
Then B would secretly follow them. And when he was finally confident enough to know that they weren't just beginner's luck but actual potentials to L, B would make a brief encounter with them.
Whatever was said, no one knew. The children he talked to never spoke a word of what happened. And to make Light even more uncomfortable, all of the potentials he talked to had dropped from potential to average. All except for one, the last potential child B had encountered, Kinship.
Light never spoke a word of what B said. And since he didn't talk anyway, no one bothered to pester him with such questions. Not even the great detective L, who if he wanted to then he could have gotten the answers out of him. However L found a friend in Kin, and decided against the idea in an effort to keep their friendship alive.
Anyway, sometime later, about a year or so, B escaped. He found a way to escape from the orphanage and was never found. Whammy's House couldn't file a missing person's report, as B was too similar to L in appearance and it would be too dangerous (this was Light's own theory, as the other children came up with strange and fictional ideas since they've never met L as L).
The next part of the rumors was what caught Light's interest in the first place.
About the same time he was adjusting with his pale roommate that rumors spread that B was a criminal.
There were no details given, other than that B had become known as BB, or Beyond Birthday. BB challenged L as a criminal, and failed miserably. He was caught and placed into some isolated mental facility with a life sentence without a chance of parole.
When Light heard this news, he walked straight to his room. Once he knew he was truly alone and no one down the hallway, he let out a series of laughs. And Light didn't even know what he was laughing for, or at, or why. He just laughed until his lungs hurt, his insides threatened to spill out, and tracks of dried tears smeared his cheeks.
He laughed so hard he didn't notice the soft footsteps of his roommate, who silently followed him to the hallway, leaving in a fright. And later when Light calmed down he started questioning his own sanity. He didn't know what it was about BB's story that he found so damn funny.
=3=
A year passed quickly for Kin and Near. They gradually adjusted to being in each other's presence, and with the elder teen to prevent Mello from bullying Near their trust deepened. There were times that Kin and Mello would fight physically rather than words of insult.
And no amount of punishment would stop them from starting fights. It was evident from the first time they had detention, after the last day of detention they released all of the tension on each other. It was inevitable, everyone soon realized, considering their personalities.
Kin was the image of perfection. His pride was endless, and he would meet every insult and challenge head on. Kin had a foolish sense of pride and stubbornness that Whammy's did not enjoy as a quality among the children. But the depth of Kin's stubborn pride was not known until now, and it was too late to change him. Once children were in their teens it was harder to control and discipline them.
Mello, although not a perfectionist, he too carried a lot of pride. He was quick on his feet, both physically and mentally. So even though there was about a four year gap between him and Kin, Mello was able to keep up with his rival. The fact he had serious anger issues and was stubborn as a bull didn't help matters at all.
It was apparent after the first few months that although they threw punches and wrestled to the floor, there weren't any serious injuries. Yes, there were some bad bruises, an occasional limp, some scratches, some hair pulling, and a few unfair and uncalled for bites, and rarely there were swollen cheeks. And yet they still walked away with hurt prides, and spent the next few days to a week to recover from their injuries. The moment they were completely healed they fought all over again.
Their fighting became so frequent no one bothered to intervene. Near even started to consider Matt, Mello's best friend, as an acquaintance. They only spoke to each other during the fights, usually Matt doing the talking as he fiddled over his handheld game devices and a small opinion or input from Near.
When a year passed, both Matt and Near felt that their roommates actually enjoyed riling each other up.
They even came up with enough evidence for this claim. When Kin and Mello couldn't find anything else to fight over, they simply used childish insults or any form of excuse to launch a punch at the other at any given moment. Near secretly began to wonder if somehow, in some way, those two would end up being friends. Unless they already did, which is unlikely, they simply didn't acknowledge or admit that this just might be a strange form of friendship.
When Near shared his thoughts of this on one cold February day, Matt only laughed.
"I think they secretly realize that this is ridiculous, and subconsciously they are friends. But they're too stubborn to give up and surrender. I wouldn't be surprised if the only way for them to accept the fact they're friends is if L decides to intervene." The gamer commented with a grin.
Near managed a small smile in return to the statement. That would be true, for Kin saw L as an equal and a close friend. If L insulted him just enough of his behavior, it would shed some light to Kin that he was not the perfectionist he crafted himself to be. And Mello would most likely bow his head as L explained his disappointment to him. It was clear that the blond idolized L as a hero.
Although they knew it would happen eventually, Near and Matt secretly hoped that the fighting and the rivalry would go on just a little bit longer. The drama and the idiotic behavior between Kin and Mello was their only entertainment as of late.
But then a strange event occurred, one that would forever change all four of them. It was a series of subtle changes, actually. The first was shortly after Near spoke of the strange friendship that Kin and Mello would never admit. Roger had requested a sitting with Kinship.
Kinship sat nervously before the old man in the office with the personal library behind the desk. It was strange, in Kin's mind, that the last time he had been here was a year before. And since that last visit the teen went through a major growth spurt. Kin was now long limbed, but he was also well proportioned despite his very long legs.
He was quickly brought out of his musings when Roger cleared his throat.
"Yes?" Kin inquired, blinking.
"As I was saying, I've had enough of these reports and the sounds of your fights with Mello. I spoke with L, and we agreed that you are taken off as a potential heir."
Kin's heart skipped a few beats. Did he hear that right? Had he finally reached his goal?
"At one condition. You have to show us that you're serious. You are to start attending your classes again. I know you have an interest in forensic art, mainly the image modification category. I've scheduled an appointment of someone who specializes in that field that may take you on as an assistant and pupil. He will be coming by in a few weeks, so you have to work hard on this. Do you understand?" Roger gave him a long, hard stare.
Despite the stare that would make anyone else flinch, Kin smiled. "Yes, I understand."
"Good, you are dismissed."
The teen got up and turned to leave. As he was halfway out of the office he glanced over his shoulder.
"Oh, and Roger? Thank you."
Roger blinked, clearly taken aback. After Kin's harsh treatment towards just about everyone the past year he didn't expect the politeness to make a sudden comeback. But it was apparent that Kin was not at a complete loss of his emotions. This shed some hope from within the elder, as he worried Kin's potential would be forever wasted.
"You're welcome." Roger replied, to which the teen nodded and left.
As the door closed, Roger had a sinking feeling about this decision. He hoped that L knew what he was doing with the troublesome child.
The second subtle change was Kin's behavior. He no longer sought Mello out as a means to rile him up and obtain the upper hand. He even completely ignored all of the insults thrown at him by the blond. Instead, Kin was studying and working twice as hard.
Now, because of his boredom, Mello started advancing out his bullying on other children. Or at least he tried to, but they didn't pose enough of a challenge to him compared to Kinship. And Matt was no help with finding a replacement.
None of the others gave Mello the thrill. They gave up too easily. They all backed down at almost an instant he was up close and personal. No, they were not like Kinship at all.
Kin pushed back. He was stubborn, he met Mello's challenge halfway and gave him a fight. Most of the time there was no clear winner, but to the blond it didn't matter who won or not. It was the thrill he was after. The thrill of riling the teen up, the thrill of just fighting to keep his ground against Kin.
And in his boredom, Mello spoke of these very same thoughts to Matt.
"Matt…you're good at keeping secrets, right? I mean, of course you are. You've never told anyone that I stole most of the chocolate from the kitchen." The blond tilted his head.
The redhead simply nodded as he continued to tinker with his PSP. It had recently been acting odd. The PSP kept freezing up every three to five seconds or so. And thus the game genius decided to operate surgery on it to figure out what was wrong. Pieces of the device lay scattered on the table around Matt's area of where he sat.
"Well, I'm tired of just sitting around here, ya know? I mean, no one else gave me a challenge. No one around here stands up to me. Well, besides you, you just bear along with it, but that's beside the point. Anyway, what I'm getting at is, well, I'm starting to actually miss the fights with Kin."
Matt paused in his tinkering. Two things were bothering him. One, Mello was rambling – yes rambling – and two, he just called Kinship by his nickname. As far as the gamer knew, only Near was allowed to call his roommate Kin.
The redhead steadily raised his head to meet Mello's questioning gaze. There was something in his blue eyes, a small plead for help, and Matt gave it a chance to bring up Near's theory.
"Mells, have you ever wondered if, by even a very small chance, that you and Kinship are friends?"
Mello tilted his head, slowly eating a bite of his chocolate as if he was considering what he was told.
"…Am I friends with him? I don't know anymore. I mean, he's just…damn it! I get so frustrated whenever I'm around him, and yet, I can't avoid him! It's like, I want to be around him and yet at the same time, he makes me so damn frustrated!" The blond slammed a fist on the table.
Matt merely sighed. It was clearly too early to even suggest such a thing to Mello.
"Or maybe…maybe I get so frustrated, because that…that albino bunny is with him all the damn time."
The redhead's eyes widened at that. Of course, why didn't he think of that? Mello always hated Near. And lately the fights Mello had with Kinship had been more of habit than serious rivalry, was only because Mello couldn't stand the sight of Near.
And the way the blond spoke, it was as if he was suddenly aware that he was helpless. He didn't have any form of entertainment, no one to actually talk to. Well, of course there was Matt, but they both knew that the gamer was not the most fun individual to talk with. Unless of course they were to talk about video games, but Mello had no interest in them.
"How about this, if there's no one else who would fight back, then we can start planning how to separate Kinship and Near." Matt offered, knowing that if he didn't present a good distraction the blond would end up doing something stupid. Again.
For a moment Mello considered the option. Then he nodded as he took another loud bite of his chocolate. Relieved, Matt let out a mental sigh as he went back to his tinkering with his baby.
The third subtle change was slower. Over the course of the next few weeks, of Kin's time to prepare and impress the new guest, Near was spending less time with his roommate. Now that Mello seemed to be leaving them alone, there was no threat of bullying.
Although just to be safe both the pale boy and teen agreed that they slowly go about their own ways. They heard that Mello was scouting for victims that filled in the gap of entertainment Kin had given. So just in case the blond didn't find any replacements Kin and Near didn't completely cut each other off.
However, the other children began to notice the change. And they also noticed that Mello didn't seem to know the changes that were beginning to take shape between Kinship and Near. And to four individuals, it was a chance that was too tempting to pass up.
And thus, on the very same day the new guest was scheduled to arrive, the strange event occurred.
=3=
Light woke up early, mainly from his excitement of the chance that he knew he would take later on today. He had already practiced in his head what he was going to say, and how he would impress the guest that was coming.
But as he woke up, he felt that something would be different. There was just the smallest scent of copper that hung in the air. With a quick glance around Light realized that there was no blood in the room. And no Near for that matter, either.
The teen furrowed his eyebrows. Usually the paler boy would be asleep in the middle of his tower of toys or curled up in a tight ball on his bed. Reluctantly Light pushed his worry out of his mind and headed for the shower.
When he came out half an hour later, clean and still a little damp, Near was still nowhere in sight. Still pushing his worries aside the teen began to change into proper clothes that he had planned to wear today for the special occasion.
Maybe he was building a tower or an army of toys in the study room. But as he thought of this, the scent of copper grew stronger. Light opened his eyes, his body tensing.
Something was wrong. Light didn't know how he knew, he just knew. Something had happened to his roommate. Quickly the teen put his shoes and jacket on, and began his search for Near.
Light first checked the kitchen and library, as their room was close to both. There was no sign of the pale boy. Still worried the teen went around to the study rooms. When he peeked into the fourth one, Light was starting to panic.
The teen bolted towards the last study room, not caring of the 'No Running' rule. As he rounded a corner Light ran straight into Mello and Matt. The pair yelled in surprise as they fell hard on the floor in a mess. The teen silently cursed as he opened his eyes to see that they were a tangle limbs.
"What the hell, Kinship! That freaking hurt!" Mello was the first to complain.
"Someone's elbow is digging into my ribs." Matt said as he tried to squirm his way out of the human pile.
"Oh, sorry Matt." Light lifted his arm to allow the gamer enough room to get up.
When the teen was distracted, Mello took his chance and grabbed for the outstretched arm. Light tried to yank his arm back but it was too late. The blond crawled on top of the teen's back and trapped both arms by the wrists as if Kin was being arrested.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't bash your head into the floor." Mello hissed.
Light squirmed in his hold in an attempt to free one of his wrists. The blond had a tight grip, and it didn't look like Matt would be able to reason with the blond.
"I don't have time for this! I have to find Near, so let me go!" The teen yelled in frustration.
Surprise filled the air. Mello and Matt glanced at each other. They had actually been looking for the pale boy without success. And if Light wasn't with Near then something happened.
"We've just searched in that area you were running towards. There's no sign of Near." Matt informed.
Light tensed as his mind processed what he'd been told. If Mello couldn't find his roommate, then something was definitely wrong. The blond was an expert of finding and locating Near.
"Get off of me, Mello! I have to find him, I have to find Near. Let me go this instant!"
The blond tilted his head at the odd behavior of his rival. Kinship had never shown so much fright before. Usually the teen was calm and collected. About the only time he'd betray any emotion was when they fought.
"Mells let him go already." Matt said.
With a scowl Mello reluctantly released his rival's arms and crawled off. The teen quickly scrambled onto his feet with a frown. It was clear that Kin was not happy of the turn of events. Matt decided to put their heads together, otherwise there'll be another fight between his roommate and Kin.
"Ok, so Near is missing. We already checked that half of the orphanage, where have you searched Kinship?" The gamer motioned to the area he and his roommate had just come from.
Light frowned. "All of the first floor, and some if not all of the area I've just come from."
"That only leaves one location. The grounds outside the building." Mello peered outside of a nearby window.
If possible Light seemed more agitated from the news. There was no reason as to why Near would go outside. If anything he avoided leaving the main building as much as possible. And today there are clouds outside with the heavy smell of rain to come. No, there was no chance of Near wandering about on Whammy's somewhat spacious property.
But there wasn't really much of a choice when Near was nowhere inside the orphanage. By now the scent of copper was less subtle and more noticeable, and Light could hear just the faintest of screams from within the recesses of his subconscious. The last time he smelt or heard such horrors were many years passed, when B made his first and last move on him.
Light couldn't brush off his fears anymore as he ran down the stairs, barely registering the footsteps of Mello and Matt following close behind. Although Light found Near to be odd, too antisocial, and sometimes annoying, he had grown to accommodate with the albino boy's strangeness and actually considered him as a younger brother.
The three of them burst outside with tremendous speed, almost tripping over their own feet along the way. The three of them examined their surroundings. For an orphanage, Whammy's had a large amount of land. And they make use of the land with a good sized greenhouse and a garden. Both of them were taken care of by the children, of course supervised by an adult or two.
On the other side of the greenhouse was a shed, to store the tools needed for gardening.
"You two, search the greenhouse. I'll check the shed." Light sprinted his way across the grass without waiting for a response.
He heard Mello yell obscenities behind him, but the teen paid no mind to the words. Light only focused on his task, as he opened the shed to find it empty other than shovels and other various tools to garden with. The teen backed out, eyes quickly scanning the area around him.
Panic was taking full hold of his body. The scent of blood hit Light full force, just as the clouds above released the pent up rain, falling hard and fast. As he stood before the shed, the teen's clothes were soaked within seconds. Light didn't care, as his eyes suddenly focused on the bomb shelter that had once been a basement.
It had been a normal basement that was permanently closed off, and during World War II Roger transformed it into a shelter to survive the bombings. Once the threat of the war was over, the shelter was once again locked and never opened again. But there had been whispers, whispers that the key to open the door from the outside into the shelter that Roger had kept hidden, disappeared.
"Oi, Kinship! He's not in the greenhouse!" Mello informed loudly.
The screams became louder in his ears, and Light reached for a shovel and ran toward the bomb shelter with lightning speed. The pair followed the teen despite the heavy rain, panic also settling in them as they realized where Kinship was heading towards.
"Near? Near! Are you in there? Can you hear me? Near!" Light pounded against the wooden bomb shelter door.
Despite the screams reaching a higher pitch and instead of fresh rain he could only smell blood, Light was still able to hear a faint shout from within. He couldn't make out any words that were spoken, but he was still able to recognize Near's voice.
"Near, step back! I'm going to tear through this! Mello, Matt, go get tools to help me open this." Light instructed firmly as he began attacking the doors with the shovel.
Within minutes the three boys tore through the wooden doors, not caring about splinters in their fingers or the fact they were soaked to the bone from the rain. Light nearly fell down the stairs on the way down, for it was dark and in his blind panic he didn't bother to be safe. The teen found Near curled up at the bottom of the stairs, cold and frightened.
"K – Kin…" The boy stuttered as Light took off his suit to wrap around Near in an attempt to comfort him, despite it being wet and cold.
"I'm here, you shouldn't talk. We're taking you to my room." Light assured his roommate as he gathered Near up into his arms while going back up the stairs.
=3=
Some thirty minutes later Light had Near changed into a new pair of clean pajamas, some bandages and band aids around his fingers from clawing at the wooden doors, as well as wrapped in several blankets while Matt was making hot cocoa in the kitchen. Mello for the most part just sat on the teen's bed, being rather quiet. Light didn't bother the blond, as he focused more on the bundle cuddling close to him.
Light was slightly bothered that his wet clothes were damping Near's bed, but as long as the three blankets protected him Near should be all right. Speaking of, the boy was still shivering even when hugged by warm blankets and cuddling close to Light for extra warmth. The teen grew concerned about the shivering. But on a lighter note Near's shivering wasn't as bad compared to when they first brought him inside.
The door opened to Matt with a tray of four cups of hot cocoa. The redhead offered the tray first to Near and Light, who the teen politely accepted with a curt nod. Mello didn't bother waiting for his offer and simply reached for the nearest cup. Matt felt the urge to scold his roommate, but just this once he'll let it slide. They were guests in a room of Mello's rivals, after all.
"So, Near, what happened? Or is it too early to ask such a question?" Matt, surprisingly, was the first to inquire about how Near ended up in the bomb shelter underneath the orphanage.
The small boy blinked, hesitating for only a moment.
"Four bullies whom I do not recognize. I believe they are the newest edition to Whammy's, and if my hunch is correct I am their first victim. They've braved upon this act of stupidity because they no longer feared Mello. With him out of action, I suppose they thought it'd be all right to have their own fun." Near whispered, twirling a strand of his hair.
"It was an opportunity they thought they could get away with. How long were you in there?" Light wanted to hunt down the four individuals and punish them. But he had to remain calm, for he was needed here right now.
"Since late last night, I believe."
"Would you be able to identify them when presented a photograph?" Matt questioned, preparing for the numerous amount of questions they will have to answer to Roger.
"I can try. But if I cannot identify them by photographs I can at least figure them out through their voices." Near nodded.
"Good. We'll try and work this over with Roger tomorrow. He's probably asleep now." Light said.
"Do you really think he'll listen to us, though? I mean, he normally ignores whatever it is I have to say." Mello spoke calmly for once.
"He'll listen if it's all of us. Especially if it concerns Near, since he's one of the potentials. We have enough evidence, with his injured fingers and the fact he can remember their voices." Light assured them.
After the conversation ended silence was welcomed in the room, for the boys didn't know what to say right now. They weren't exactly all friends, but one couldn't say they were enemies either. Three of them worked together to help the fourth, so maybe they were acquintances. They drank their hot cocoas at their own pace, Mello finishing his within three minutes flat. Matt was the second to finish, as he set his and Mello's cup back on the tray. Near drank his slowly, as if savoring the warmth it provided into his stomach.
At some point when Light took a sip and nearly flinched at the cold substance. Careful not to make a face, the teen set his cup to join the other three, unfinished. It wasn't that he didn't like the hot cocoa, but he had spent most of the time of silence calming his senses.
The smell of copper still hung in the air, although very faint due to the chocolate drinks. His ears were still ringing from the screams, but they too, grew faint and very distant. To distract his mind Light thought of L. He thought of how the detective was doing, and whether or not he remembered him or not. He wondered if L held onto the stuffed panda he had given when he left what felt like an eternity ago.
Light was beginning to miss L, and to distract himself he paused in his ponderings by glancing over at the clock. He then realized it was now twelve fifteen at night. It was past curfew for the boys, and Light didn't feel up to all the drama of them being caught. How did the time pass so quickly? With a sigh, the teen turned to the two guests.
"It's late, you guys can stay if you want."
The pair nodded, evident they were tired. With some help the three pushed their beds together. The beds were too small for two people, but put them close together and they can hold up to four people, if a little squashed. And thus Light somehow ended up in the middle with Near cuddling to his right, and Mello and Matt huddled to his left.
Just as he was falling asleep, Light realized that he had forgotten completely about the meeting that Roger had scheduled earlier.
=3=
Death: There you go. I needed this chapter to be long in order to set up the next chapter, in which some very interesting events shall take place. And although I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it will take a while for me to update again, and since it is almose Christmas, L will make an appearance again in the next chapter. I won't reveal how or why though xD
Meanwhile, I hope this doesn't seem rushed. I finished this around one in the morning, and have been working on it for some time. And I just really wanted this chapter to be done so I can work on the next one, for it'll shift the plot on where I want it to go.
So, without further ado, please click the lovely review button. Happy Holidays!~