End Transmission

AN: Ohhhhhhh I love this chapter for some reason, but I love the next one more. You'll see why. Hehehehe.

Suggested Listening: I Don't Care by Fallout Boy; Play Dead by The Birthday Massacre (randomly I was adding older music to my playlist and found this and squealed like a teenager... I love this song! This band is awesome)

Chapter Eight: Innocence

Near had indeed come back there the night before, and had stayed for quite a while before the three of them had called a quits, despite it being a Saturday night which allowed them to stay up however long they wanted. But Matt knew that they needed time apart, mainly Mello away from Near, so that they didn't get annoyed with one another. Familiarity breeds contempt, as it were.

Now, in the early morning hours of Sunday, just after breakfast, Matt wished he could rewind the day or perhaps even pause time, even if only for a short while. He knew that he would have to deal with Linda again that day, but he didn't want to.

She had bothered him even before the project, and now with the chance to work with him, she would never leave him alone. He disliked it. He couldn't say he hated it, because there were only a small amount of things he actually hated, current L situation being at the top.

He sighed but smirked slightly at the still hesitant knock that came to their door even though it opened mere seconds later. "Why do you bother to knock if you just barge in anyway?" Mello asked rhetorically from his perch on his bed.

Matt had begun to wonder when the small albino would make his appearance that day, as he had figured it would have been directly after breakfast. And despite knowing he wouldn't be able to participate in their interactions until their project was completed, Matt liked that Near was there.

It at least gave Mello something more to do other than sit there and stare blankly out the window as he munched on his chocolate; his thoughts ever the mystery to Matt. Mello was sometimes so easy to read that it seemed like every thought and feeling played out across his face, and others times, like now, he was completely closed off.

So if Near was able to distract Mello in a way that he couldn't, then Matt was happy.

To an extent, at any rate.

Matt figured, as the other two were working on the project, which would probably be called cheating with the way they were going about it, it was time to get to solving his own.

Now Matt knew that he was far from stupid, but he really wasn't motivated in this kind of thing. He'd never wanted to be a detective, not even before he'd been shipped off to Wammys, and certainly not now. So he found the task of solving the murder cases, while slightly interesting to read, rather boring and tedious.

He hated to think what would have happened had Mello and Near not appeared there...

Idly, as he went over the information again in his head, he wondered how long it had taken L to solve it. Then he grinned. He wondered how long it would have taken the three of them to solve it had they actually been working at it diligently, as was expected.

Though Matt never truly worked at anything diligently other than his games, and perhaps hacking. He tapped a pen against his lips and uninterestedly typed his thoughts on the case into his laptop.

Matt knew they needed to breach the L subject again, but knew that none of them actually wanted to at the moment. It was nice to pretend if only for a while, that things were ok. That they had decided on the camaraderie all on their own rather than because of a situation that was out of their hands.

Pretend, Matt mused, was a lovely thing indeed.

By the time lunch had rolled around, Matt had narrowed his initial suspicions down to two suspects, though he had yet to string the evidence to tie either of them into it; it was merely a gut feeling about them. And while had the urge to simply ask Mello if he was right about one of them, he resisted.

He needed to find out on his own, or his work wouldn't end up looking like his own. He usually came about his finding different than Mello and Near, and it would probably be reflected in the final product should he receive help from either of them.

He wondered if they noticed that they could work together so completely, that their train of thought, while different, was eerily similar enough to mesh well?

Matt saved the document and waited for the other two to finish their current thoughts before they headed down to lunch, though Near walked at a far slower pace so that they did not arrive together.

Lunch, in Matt's case, seemed to rush by. He didn't normally mind, as he was usually doing something other than work, but with what awaited him upon the return to their room, Matt was less than enthusiastic.

He wondered if it would always be that bad now that he knew about L. It would be a long few years until L chose his successor.

"Matt! Wait up!" Linda, as he would recognize her voice anywhere, to run from, shouted at him as he and Mello got up to leave. He sighed and ignored her. He didn't even see why she was bothering him when he knew Linda wasn't smart enough to have figured out the case yet.

Yes she was in the top ten, but anything after third and you may as well have been dead last. Matt had never taken much stock in the rankings, but he'd make an exception for Linda. She was persistent though, he'd give her that.

He caught Mello smirking at him as they hurried, well Matt hurried, back to their room. Mello wouldn't have thought it so funny if a week ago Near had been doing that to him. Matt had to choke back a laugh at the image the thought had produced.

It was too hilarious for words.

Mello had arched an eyebrow, once inside the safety of their locked room, but he hadn't answered and instead merely shrugged a shoulder which he was sure hadn't quelled the blond's curiosity on the matter.

But he doubted Mello would want to know either... not really.

Mello eventually sighed and flopped onto the bed. Without Near he couldn't, or perhaps didn't want to, continue on the project. Matt however, could. He started the annoying task or rereading the case to find the evidence to back up his hunches.

He needed motives, though sometimes they weren't as clear as money or passion, as well as things to tie one of them to the murders. Knowing L, it had been some obscure thing that most everyone would overlook.

When the door was knocked on later, Matt hadn't looked at the lock before he'd started so he couldn't say how much time had passed, he assumed it was Near and unlocked the door only to stare directly at Roger as well as Linda.

Lovely.

He didn't say anything and waited until Roger got annoyed, hardly a minute later, and spoke up. "Linda tells me that you refuse to work with her on the project." Roger clearly didn't care, but had probably been coerced into it by Linda.

"Why bother when she isn't even done solving the case yet; unless I was mistaken in understanding the directions concerning the assignment?" Matt heard Mello snickering in the background and knew why.

"Linda has solved it." Roger told him. Matt blinked. Sure she had...

"Really now?" he drawled out while looking at the girl. Linda blushed and looked at her feet while Roger merely sighed. "I didn't think so." Matt had really had enough of all this and closed the door in their faces and locked it again.

Mello, as he had looked over at a snort, had fallen to his side and was shaking with mirth. "What's so funny?" he questioned.

"Y-you... you didn't see their faces?" Mello gasped. Matt could honestly say that he had never seen Mello in such a state before, just as much as he could say he hadn't been looking at Roger or Linda's faces as he shut the door in their faces.

"It was priceless... I never thought you just completely dismiss them like that. And I doubt they did either; you're usually so calm." Mello had finally sat up, tears in his eyes, and was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Matt knitted his eyebrows together. He hadn't thought he'd been anything other than calm... perhaps a little annoyed... he honestly couldn't see what had been so funny. He grinned, despite his confusion, it had made Mello laugh, so whatever he'd done was ok.

With that little interruption over with he forced himself to go back to the case. Though it did remind him of Linda for a moment; he was tired of having to push her away constantly, but figured that until the project was over and done with he would just have to deal with it.

He was skimming over supposed alibis when another knock came to the door, this time though Mello got up to get it and he shot the blond an appreciative look garnered a smirk. Matt was more than happy to find that it was Near and no one else.

The more time the tiny albino spent with them, or at least Mello, the more Matt got used to, and even looked foreword to his company. It wasn't all that strange though, as Near really wasn't all that bad, just very, horribly, socially awkward.

But Matt supposed it didn't really matter, everyone at Wammys was in some way or another.

He vaguely noted that they seemed to have moved on from the case to the final potion of the project, and by final he meant finalizing. They had probably already been close to finishing and were just tweaking things now.

He hit a slight snag in the case, though he knew he was close, and as his irritation sparked he knew he had to quit and go do something productive, like playing his games, or else he would end up deleting all of his work in a fit of spite.

That was why he couldn't be a detective. That and the whole no motivation thing, at any rate.

He didn't much care.

He thought he heard a soft laugh from the other side of the room as he turned on his gameboy, but didn't really pay much attention to it. He needed minor stress relief at the moment. And games were it.

He instantly felt the small amount of irritation that had built up slide away as he lost himself in the pixilated world that was Legend of Zelda. One could never go wrong with Zelda. He grinned as he found another heart in the grass and slashed away at the foe that appeared in the next square. He had just started the level and knew there would be a while before it was completed.

Though he wasn't completely surprised as the gameboy was taken out of his hands by a grinning blond. "Time to eat. I still don't know how you can play this for so long... it's like you go into withdrawals without it though."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Like you aren't the same with your chocolate." he took his game back and turned it off. He didn't mind as there had been nothing important happening and nothing worth saving.

Mello merely shrugged and Matt followed him from the room. At least Mello hadn't tried to deny it, it would have been a horrible lie and neither of them would have believed it. Though Matt did wonder where Near had gone, or rather when, as he didn't remember the albino leaving.

He saw Near as they entered the dining hall, though he did nothing more than the slight incline of his head before getting his food and sitting down next to Mello. Not many others sat down with them, or even near them. Matt knew that it was because of Mello's attitude and temper, but found that he didn't really mind as it meant they weren't bothered.

The only exception seemed to be Linda. He sighed as he noticed her stare on him. Recently it seemed she was always where he was, he just hadn't noticed it much before since he was always with Mello.

It seemed that the week or so that Mello had ignored him had given her hope or something. Though hope for what exactly, eluded him. He didn't spare much thought on it, as he wasn't really bothered by it too much. After the project she wouldn't have an excuse to bother him, and he doubted Mello would let it continue for too long even if he didn't do something himself.

He finished his sandwich and looked up to find Mello looking at him expectantly. He instinctively looked down at his plate and removed the desert containing chocolate and handed it over. Mello smirked at him.

They didn't often have deserts containing cocoa so when they did Mello 'asked' for them. Matt smiled at that. He had only asked once and then expected them every other time. That was Mello for you.

He didn't need Mello to prompt him to leave once dinner was through, the way Linda eyed him made him think she would attempt something again, and really, why was she so persistent? He decided, formally, that he hated that project.

And what better revenge than to completely ignore his laptop when they got back to the room. Yeah, he was just lazy. But trying to rationalize it seemed fun. For a few seconds, before his games caught his eye.

"If you weren't so lazy I think you could easily rival Near or I." Mello told him with a sigh as he popped the disk into his Play Station. He grinned at the blond who merely sighed and in a surprise move sat down next to him. He didn't pick up the offered controller and instead just leaned against him with a head resting on his shoulder. Matt liked that Mello still felt comfortable enough to do that. He liked the way he warmed his side.

He was suddenly glad he had chosen one of his adventure games to play, as he figured it would be at least a little more entertaining for Mello than his racing games or something of the like.

Matt concentrated on the game and only after the first cut scene did he look down at the blond. Mello's eyes were shut, but by the way he still nursed his chocolate he was still awake. Matt didn't really mind if he fell asleep against him, he was just happy Mello was relaxing.

He had a feeling that things would speed up again once the three of them completely figured out just where they wanted to go from there.

"Hey Matt..." the blond said after a while. Matt didn't bother to reply as it hadn't truly been a question. Should Mello wish to continue he would whether or not Matt had replied.

"Near and I were talking earlier during our break, we think we should stay here. We need to be in the thick of things... If we go away hen we can't see what the problems are..." he trailed off. Matt had a feeling that would be the end result, because anything less was like giving up.

"And if we can't see what the problems are, we won't know how to fix them..." Mello looked up and was worrying his lip between his teeth.

Matt leaned forward so that their foreheads touched. "I'll be with you guys whatever you decide, you're my friend Mello." Mello gave him a ghost of a smile and nodded as much as he could with them still in contact.

He didn't honestly know why Mello had been... worried? Matt would never abandon him. He suspected not even if Mello told him to...

Mello moved away after that and Matt settled down to play his game for the rest of the night, which incidentally hadn't lasted all that long for him as he'd fallen asleep playing.

.

.

Matt had finished solving the case before breakfast, and incidentally before classes started. He was lucky that he didn't have to deal with Linda attempting to work with him until later as classes took up most of the day. The project would be coming to a close soon so he knew he wouldn't be able to brush her off the next time she asked.

The only good thing would be that since it was during the week the amount of time he had to spend with her would be cut short. It worked out for him that she was slow in solving the case, not that he'd been much better.

All laziness aside, Matt found himself more distracted more than usual during the first few classes. He supposed it had to do with the fact that when he'd woken his laptop had been on, and he hadn't been on it since before dinner.

He didn't care if Mello had used it, but the blonde had his own and it didn't make sense for him to have used Matt's. He squinted his eyes and stifled a yawn. Maybe he hadn't actually turned it off the night before and it had merely been in standby mode until he jerked it.

It was possible...

Matt didn't believe it though. But there was nothing else that fit. He hadn't asked Mello about it because it seemed more like user error more than anything else; something he'd done in his haste to cease working.

He contented himself with playing his gameboy until lunch came. "Mello, did you happen to use my laptop yesterday?" he asked, and from the look he received the answer was no. he hadn't thought so, but it had been nagging at him.

So he'd accidentally left it on after he'd stopped working on the case. Mystery solved. He was an idiot.

Mello seemed to think so at the moment as well. Matt merely shrugged at him and finished his lunch. With nothing else to draw his attention during the afternoon classes Matt found his attention drifting to the other faces that sat with rapt attention of those in the race to become L.

It was laughable really how deluded they all were, simply because they had been force fed the information from the moment they had entered the orphanage. The greatest trick the devil ever played was making everyone believe he didn't exist. Or in this case, that L was exactly as he seemed.

Matt wondered if the outside world was just as deceitful as Wammys had turned out to be; they had all been young, innocent, when they had bee in it, so it was hard to say.

At the end of classes he didn't bother to rush out of the room and simply took his time and waited for Linda to approach him as he'd known she would. "Matt, I solved the case so we can work together now." she chirped happily at him.

He shrugged a shoulder and after a short debate as to where they would do this, Linda wanted him to go to her room and Matt flat out refused, so they compromised with the library. Matt also doubted that Linda had finished it yet. She was probably nearly finished, but not quite.

He sat down at one of the small library table and waited for Linda to meet him there. They had both split off to gather their laptops and whatnot for the project. He lifted his head as a blue laptop was placed on the table. He hadn't known they could have chosen other colors, unless she had taken it upon herself to color it.

He wouldn't be surprised.

"Um.. I guess we should start." she mumbled with a soft smile. Only an hour into it and Matt had to resist the urge to pull up a game of solitaire on his laptop. It was extraordinarily hard to get anything done with Linda acting so weird around him. Honestly what was her issue?

He doubted he would ever understand her. Artists were weird. Or maybe just girls in general.

He sighed happily as the digital numbers told him it was five minutes until dinner. "Linda, we'll finish it tomorrow alright?" her eyes lit up and she nodded happily. He hoped she would go back to her previous form of annoying once the project was through... but he had a feeling she wouldn't.

He shut down the laptop and left the library quickly, though he slowed his pace once far enough away from it. He looked up at the sound of an engine and moved closer to one of the large windows to peer outside. It wasn't often they got visitors or new students..

It was dark outside but not too dark though that he couldn't see the sleek old car that stopped in the middle of the gravel and was shut inside as the large wrought iron gates closed. He noticed Mr. Wammy step to of the drivers side and pass by to the left, the direction of the front doors.

Matt had to wonder why he was back so early and wondered if that meant L was done with his current case. Matt frowned at the thought. He shook his head and got back to his room just as Mello was leaving.

"About time Matt. Did you get all of it completed?" Mello asked while he tapped his foot impatiently on the floor as he waited. He shook his head in answer of his question and Mello sighed.

"She was really awkward to work with. We're almost done though. Tomorrow it will be finished so I won't have to deal with her anymore." he noticed Mello roll his eyes but didn't comment on it.

They ate in silence, though it wasn't a bad one, and despite everything, Matt found himself relaxing. Before dinner was even out the both of them had finished and merely sat there, waiting for the others to leave.

Though just a few minutes before it was over Roger strode into the room and walked over to Near, where he said something that must have interested Near as his fingers curled tightly in his hair, but not yet a sign of anxiety.

Mello sneered outwardly, though he could tell the blond was curious. "Mello, Matt, I need the two of you to go to my office. Mr. Wammy would like to speak with you." Roger waited for them to nod and they shared a quick look before following him out of the room.

Mr. Wammy stood looking out the large paneled windows in Roger's office as they entered and the second Near shuffled in, robot clutched in arm, Roger backed out of the room and shut the door.

"It is good to see you boys again, and I have some news I believe you will all love." he told them with a smile, but Matt was instantly put on guard.

"L want the three of you to come along and help on a case. It is to help him in determining who will be chosen as successor." he told them.

Mello gasped and Matt could tell that the pure excitement in his expression was faked, while Near merely played with his robot with his seemingly dark gaze flickering upwards every once and a while.

Matt made his expression freeze in indifference though he felt far from it on the inside. Matt could tell there was something wrong, something they weren't getting, as Mr. Wammy had cold eyes that day.

-End Innocence-

AN: I've played Zelda before, though i honestly don't know if there was one for the gameboy, if not, there is in my fic. :)

And so yeah, we have more cute moments as well as plot...

You like plot right?

Enough to review? XD