I hope that this story lives up to the expectations of those that have come to like my stories including: L’s Past and Matt. Please help me to become a better writer.

Mello sighed and his blonde hair made diagonals as he moved his head forward. He was standing with his back against a wall with ten guys around him. They wore basic gangster clothes, and each of them carried at least one revolver. Mello had known the type all his life and was not fazed. He merely cocked his head to one side and pulled a new bar of chocolate out of his pocket.

“Mello you traitor!” one of the men barked. He had somewhat of a hoarse voice that reminded Mello of nails on the Wammy chalkboard, “The boss has but five-hundred grand on your head for what you did!”

“And I care why?” Mello asked sarcastically biting into the fresh bar of chocolate , “I’m not part of your pretty little girly tea party.”

“Mello! You betrayed to us to the Mafia!! Lives were lost! Do you have any idea what you have done!” one of the men yelled.

“Ya ya, you and your boss are pissed but ya know? I was never on your side to begin with. I’ve been with the Mafia for longer so you people have no right to call me a traitor,” Mello said taking another bite of chocolate.

“Mello we were just going to take you back and have the boss deal with you, but now that you said that we will execute you here and now!” the scratchy voiced man said.

“Take your best shot,” Mello said opening up his arms to revile his leather shirt.

Several guns fired at once, but by then Mello had moved and had grabbed one of the men. He broke the man’s wrist and snatched the gun. The man fell to his knees clasping his wrist. Placing the gun at the man’s head, Mello smiled and took another bite of chocolate.

“You are all stupid,” Mello smirked. He fired several shots before the men could react. They were instantly killed, and Mello walked away still eating the chocolate, a gun twirling on his finger.

Mello walked down several streets not really thinking or caring about thinking. He had to go all the way to Britain to get rid of one guy and then the boss of that organization marks his head with a five hundred thousand dollar bounty on his head. Mello sighed and continued walking.

The streets were familiar only because Mello hated them. They were the streets of his childhood a childhood he hated and wished to smash into a million pieces with a forty pound mallet. He sighed remembering it.

Before the Wammy House, before Near’s rivalry, before Matt’s friendship, Mello had nothing, nothing meaning absolutely nothing that he could hold on to. It was true he had once had a mother and father, but they did not last long enough for Mello to remember them. Throughout his childhood, Mello had been passed from one family to the like a revolving door. He could not stay with one long enough to know more than the names of the people he stayed with. Then something would happen to where Mello had to leave and be passed to another family. Most of the families he stayed with were cruel or didn’t want him there. There were always other children there as well. Some were smarter than others, and some were stronger than others, but Mello never cared to get to know any of them. They were there for the same reason he was, and he hated it. Most of the children cried a lot, and for a while it made Mello cry as well. All he wanted was somewhere…something….someone…someone that would stay with him….someone to say it was ok…….

But Mello’s wish wasn’t granted. Well at least not in the way he wanted. He waited and waited for someone to come and say it was all going to be ok, but no one came. Mello began to develop his own ideas about life. Rule of life seemed to unfold before him. Rule number one, you can’t get what you want in life unless you fight for it. Rule number two, if anyone gets in the way of what you want, you had the right to fight for it. And three, you were alone in the world.

At age eight, Mello was once again handed off to a new family which in all aspects of the word family was not one. The “parents” were more like grandparents and consisted of an old couple who had not been able to have children. The “children” consisted of five orphans, six now that Mello had arrived.

“Hello sweetie,” the old woman said as Mello entered the house that would become his home for the next six months according to the last court order. “You look tired. How about I show you your room and roommate? Then I’ll start cooking dinner.”

“Sure,” Mello said waving the kindness out of the air. He had dealt with women like this before, and they usually lost their kindness for him in a matter of hours.

The woman showed Mello his room upstairs. The house was old but in good condition. The steps squeaked their complaints about the weight they were receiving, but they seemed to hold. Mello walked through the door way and into his new room.

The room consisted of four walls a window and two beds nothing more. A boy with dark brown hair laid on his back in the bed to the right appearing to be inspecting the ceiling. A rather large chocolate bar was in the boy’s right hand, and as he took a bite he seemed to wait to and take as small bites as possible. As Mello came further into the room, the boy sat up and looked at him.

“Hi…” the boy said quietly.

“Zack this is Mello,” the woman said smiling, “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. “

“Yes ma’am,” Zack answered.

The woman left and the room but her footsteps could be heard heading down the stairs that complained Just as they had before. As soon as she was out of earshot Mello grabbed Zack by his and shoved him into a wall.

“Now listen kid,” Mello said putting his face right next to Zack’s and his forefinger at Zack’s chest , “I am not sharing my room with you.”

Zack remained quiet.

“What? You deaf or something?” Mello asked grabbing Zack’s chocolate and sinking his teeth into it.

“I heard you!” Zack answered, “but you don’t have to be mean.”

“What did you say?” Mello asked angrily.

“I said I heard you,” Zack said quietly.

Mello smirked and backed away from Zack.

“Good then you can sleep out in the hall,” Mello said turning around and sitting on his new bed.

“That’s fine,” Zack answered.

“What did you say kid?” Mello asked glaring at Zack.

“I said fine……” Zack said again.

“Good,” Mello said, “Now leave.”

Zack smiled and turned leaving.

“I hope you feel welcomed,” Zack smiled.

Soon the woman called for all the children to come to dinner. Mello walked down the stairs and saw the other children for the first time. Most of them looked like his type, the born ruffian. Even the two girls had the attitudes of those who knew what they wanted and couldn’t have it. Zack was the one that seemed to be out of place there.

When everyone was seated at the table, Zack asked that everyone spend a minute praying. Most of the children complained but complied. After words, food was eaten in silence. Mello finished his dinner and tried to leave the table as quickly as possible. Zack caught Mello just as he was leaving the dining room.

“Sit please,” Zack asked. It was not an order just a simple question.

“Quit it,” Mello said angrily.

“Please,” Zack repeated.

“Quit I already had to pray before we ate!” Mello yelled.

The silence of the room was shattered as Mello yelled more and fought against Zack’s grip. Soon Mello gave up and returned to his seat.

“We have to pray for thanks of the food,” Zack said once Mello was seated again.

“But you already forced me to pray at the beginning of the meal!” Mello protested.

“Please?” Zack answered. There was no hate in his voice that Mello could detect.

“What are you some sort of priest?” Mello challenged.

“I just wanted to say thanks,” Zack said quietly.

“What is his problem?” Mello whispered to one of the guys next to him who waited till Zack was muttering to himself to respond.

“Zack like the rest of us is an orphan but I figure he turned towards his religion to cope heh,” sthe boy answered.

“Whoa he’s a sissy,” Mello responded.

The boy smirked at Mello who smirked back.

After they prayed again, Mello stood and dashed out of the room and up to the bed room he was supposed to share with Zack. He quickly slammed the door behind him, but found there was no lock. He grabbed the handle tightly to try and keep Zack out.

“Mello?” Zack asked knocking on the door, “Mello are you alright?”

“You’re a sissy!” Mello yelled, “I refuse to share my room with a sissy! Only a sissy prays to a nonexistent God and asks him to keep everyone safe! There is no God!”

“I am not a sissy!” Zack answered not raising his voice, “I found a way to deal with the world. God has helped me.”

“God never helped me!” Mello yelled, “I never knew my parents!”

“Do you think you are the only one that has suffered???” Zack answered, “I watched my parents die.”

Mello stopped for a moment and released the door. Zack pushed it open just enough for Mello to see him.

“I was five at the time…..and I remember it so clearly it gives me nightmares,” Zack said looking Mello in the eyes.

“Ya so what,” Mello responded, “I don’t care about you….”

“But I care about you,” Zack responded, “Because we share something in common, and God has brought us together.”

“Ya right,” Mello answered.

“Mello,” Zack smiled, “I understand….someone has to put full faith in you before you’ll trust them. I understand.”

Zack let go of the door and started walking away.

“Zack what are you doing!” Mello yelled.

“I have to put full trust in you,” Zack said, “So I’ll trust you to take care of my funeral.”

“Zack!” Mello said yanking the door open, but Zack had already left the house and was heading for the streets.

“Mello…..if what you say is true,” Zack said, “Then I have no reason to live…..I’m better off dead.”

Zack took one step out onto the fast moving street. Cars honked irritated, but Zack continued out into the third lane. Suddenly a car came speeding around a corner.

“Move Zack!” Mello yelled.

“Why?” Zack asked.

“Zack damn it!” Mello yelled tackling him out of the way. Zack fell back away from the car and onto the other side walk.

“Heh see Mello you do care,” Zack answered smiling.

“You’re terrible,” Mello smirked.

After that, Mello and Zack became good friends. Zack taught Mello everything from calculations to music. The only subject that they debated on, and it was now more friendly debate rather than bickering, was religion. Mello still refused to believe that an omnipotent God had made his life the way it was. In the end neither was hurt by the other’s refusal and they remained friends. As a sign of light friendly humor, Zack began to buy Mello chocolate. Mello would smirk, and they would both laugh.

Six months passed in a flash, and the court ordered Mello to move to a new family. Mello didn’t know what to do with this news. So he simply gave up and showed it to Zack.

“Well we’ll just have to keep you here,” Zack laughed in response to Mello’s burst of fear.

“I can’t….the feds ordered it,” Mello said, “And if I refuse there could be a court trial, and a whole lot of other junk will happen.”

“How do you know?” Zack asked.

“It’s happened before,” Mello answered resting his head on his knees.

“Then we’ll just run away,” Zack answered smiling.

“Zack how can you say that?” Mello asked, “You have a permanent home here.”

“Naw,” Zack answered, “Truth be told I arrived here a little before you and my court order in another few months….”

“So then…..” Mello started.

“Yep let’s plan it for the end of the week so we have enough supplies and things. We can definitely get a job somewhere and since there are two of us that means we can work together and get twice as much money.”

“You really planned this out,” Mello said looking wryly at Zack.

“Heh ya I guess so,” Zack smiled back.

So they began to slowly sneak food and things they would need to run away with. Mello even convinced one of the girls to part with her hair dryer so that they could get extra money to leave with. At the end of the week they were ready to leave.

“Ready?” Zack asked Mello as he pulled on his bag.

“Yep,” Mello answered.

Mello unlatched the window of their bedroom, pushed it open, and stepped out onto the roof. Careful of his footing, Mello walked down the roof of the house and down the terrace. Zack followed closely behind. Soon they were blocks from the house. Zack let out a sigh.

“You ok?” Mello asked.

“Ya I’m fine,” Zack answered.

“Good,” Mello replied.

The two of them continued walking for a while until the sounds of gun shots rang though the one peaceful night.

“Mello I think it’s a street shooting,” Zack whispered, “We have to check it out come one.”

“Zack what are you doing?” Mello asked fiercely, “Don’t do that!”

But it was already too late; Zack had started away towards the sounds of guns. Mello raced up to him, and together they walked through the night towards the sounds of guns. They took to the shadows and saw a three figures standing in the glow of the street lights. A woman was screaming and two other lower voices were trying to muffle her.

“Zack,” Mello said, “Zack let’s get out of here.”

“Mello,” Zack whispered, “She’s in trouble…..”

“Zack this is no time to play the hero,” Mello hissed.

“No?” Zack asked, “Well maybe not for you.”

“Don’t talk like that come back!” Mello said.

Mello extended his arm to catch Zack and pull him back, but Zack broke free and continued walking in direction of the voice. Fearing for his own life, Mello remained standing in the shadows whispering helily for his friend to return.

After that moment Mello’s memory seemed to twist and contort. He remembered Zack running towards the people, but after that everything faded into a stream of color. A part of him knew what happened. Another part denied it happened. And still a third part wanted to cry out as to why he had not taken action. The only clear thing after that was the sound of one last gun being fired.

The next thing Mello knew he was being taken to a hospital. Someone had heard a boy screaming, but Mello didn’t scream. All he could do was sit and stare blankly out at the world. Everything seem so wrong.

Zack’s name was put in the paper within the next week both as the front headline and in the obituaries. The article read that Zack had screamed and someone had heard him, but the gun-men had shot him. Mello’s name was never stated. It was like he didn’t exist. Mello felt less alive than Zack did. The feds didn’t know what to do with him, so they just let him stay at the house…..the house he had shared with a good friend…..

Mello left that house and never returned. Before he was to disappear from the eyes of the world for a number of years, Mello walked into the church Zack had gone to. There walked slowly up the pews and sat in the first seat. In the pew just opposite where Mello sat, sat a man reading the bible. He was not a preacher or anyone Mello had ever seen before. Mello spent a long time looking at him and finally asked.

“What are you doing here?” Mello asked.

“Same as you, coming to breathe God’s air,” the man answered.

“There is no God,” Mello answered, “And if there is then I hate him.”

The man put down his book to inspect Mello closely.

“Why?” was the question.

“He took my friend,” was the answer.

“ He did now? Are you sure?”

“How can you ask that,” Mello asked.

“Well if your friend went willingly then God didn’t take him. God grants free will to all.”

“God took my friend and that is it,” Mello answered.

“Are you Mello?” the man asked.

Mello brought his gaze directly into the man’s eyes.

“And if I am?”

“Then you knew Zack…..and these are your then,” the man said handing Mello a string of rosary beads.

“What is the meaning of this?” Mello asked.

“They were to be given to Zack as his birthday present, but from the way he talked about you, you are his closest family and these belong to you,” the man answered.

Mello clasped the rosary in his hand and sighed.

“I want chocolate,” Mello said calmly.

“I believe I have some,” the man said. He stood and walked away into the preacher’s private rooms and brought back a chocolate bar. Mello snatched it and took a bite. He would not cry……he wouldn’t cry…..After that Mello found Matt and together they got into the Wammy House. But it would never be like that house……

Mello found himself in the present clasping the beads around his neck so tightly that he wondered why they didn’t break…..as his eyes moved though his environment, Mello saw the old church where Zack had gone………….