[Mint]

"Nate!" Mello frowned and hurried after the boy- Matt trailing right behind him.

[Uke]

"This place is huge," Nate commented as he proceeded to get himself lost again - this time not really caring.

[Mint]

"Nate?" Matt walked up to Nate's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "...You look so pale...more than before anyway."

Mello was walking behind them- his hands in his pockets.

"...Something happens to us." Mello murmured. "L dies...likely, we take up the case, but..."

[Uke]

"But L doesn't say who is his successor," Nate mumbled - he'd already changed the future, no sense in keeping anything more from them. "Roger offers it to you both and Near agrees, but you say no... you run away. You join the mafia... work your way up the ranks and Near creates a group that you later kill off."

He sighed a bit, leaning against a wall and dropping his face into his hands.

"In the script, you and Matt both die," He whispered. "I... I couldn't let L die and know that any of that would happen..."

[Mint]

"...Die?" Matt repeated.

Mello was silent Nate said this- watching the ivory-haired boy as he confessed these things- like he was dealing the death blows himself.

"...It's not your life." Mello said suddenly. "Why would you care?"

[Uke]

The younger boy lifted his colorless eyes and frowned. "Because you're a person too and you have just as much right to live as I do. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I let you die if I can do something to prevent it..."

[Mint]

"How does it happen?" Matt asked. "After L dies?"

"Me and Near would have gone onto the case...you said I didn't work with him, so we went our separate ways...me in the mob and him with his task force." Mello worked out. "...I asked Matt to help."

"What?" Matt frowned at the blonde boy.

[Uke]

"That part... it doesn't make sense to me," Nate admitted, looking up at them. "If you two aren't best friends... why would Matt help you and not Near?"

[Mint]

"Because I asked him to." Mello murmured.

"Mels?" Matt blinked.

"I asked and he came to help...because Matt's loyal." Mello said. "I...I was asking for help...right?"

Mello looked up at Nate.

"I needed help." Mello said again.

[Uke]

"...Yeah, you needed help," Nate breathed, avoiding the blonde's eyes. "But it doesn't matter. Its not going to happen that way. L isn't going to die and you're not gonna join the mafia. Kira will be caught."

[Mint]

"...Does Matt die on the case?" Mello asked.

[Uke]

"Don't say it like it's gonna happen!" Nate snapped, turning to glare at Mello for a moment before he let out a slow breath. "He did, yes."

[Mint]

"Oh God..." Mello looked down. "I killed him."

"What?" Matt frowned before shaking his head. "Mello-"

"He wouldn't have even been there." Mello breathed. "He came because I needed help...he died because I called him."

"Mels!" Matt snapped.

"Matt...I'm sorry...I didn't know they'd kill you." Mello murmured darkly.

"Stop talking like I'm already DEAD!" Matt shouted.

[Uke]

"Knock it off!"

Nate reached down and grabbed a handful of the blonde's shirt, pulling him down so that their faces were close. "Right now you need to fucking focus on finding a way to get Near back, do you hear me!?"

[Mint]

"Near!" Mello repeated. "Now he can't take up the case! Is Kira still gonna be alive in your time!?"

[Uke]

"L isn't dead, you retarded blonde!" Nate shrieked.