AN: Here I am, brushing the dust off my keyboard and grinning evilly to myself over what I plan to do next in my running stories after a good long holiday that I really needed! I got to do plenty of interesting things, like explore a modernised convent and try to fool the locals of the towns I visited into thinking I was foreign...sometimes I think I have weird hobbies. :)

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Raito pushed roughly through the crowd of students blocking the classroom door. They were chattering laughingly amongst themselves, some had even pulled out mobile phones, presumably to take pictures of whatever it was they were all so fascinated by.

With a few half-hearted protests from people he had pushed aside, he reached the front of the crowd. In a matter of seconds he took in the two youths fighting on the ground, and another watching on expressionlessly. Beyond angry, Raito stepped forward and grabbed Mello and Near, his hands gripping their arms painfully tightly.

Mello, who had had Matt pinned beneath him and had been venting his frustrations quite successfully by punching him in the face until his hand had come away bloodied, complained when he saw that it was his friend who had stopped him. Raito glared at him, his face twisted almost beyond recognition into a deep scowl. Near made no sound of protest.

Without sparing the wounded redhead so much as a glance, he dragged the two forcibly away from the scene, pulling them all the way to the roof and pushing them to the ground. Mello scowled and was on the verge of shouting at him, but sensed that his friend would not react well. Beside him, Near's eyes showed that he was in pain, but his face was as composed as ever.

For a few moments Raito could not speak. "What. Was. That." He asked finally, his voice tightly controlled but his expression still furious. If anything the quietness of his voice just made him seem even more fearsome.

Mello opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Near. "I am sorry. I was distracted."

"What was so important that it distracted you?!" The silver-haired boy did not respond, and this appeared to express more to Raito than any words from him could have. He ran his hand through his hair in annoyance, but let the matter go. "Whatever, just do your job properly. Take better care in future."

Near lowered his head slightly in agreement. Left unacknowledged by both his friend and lover, Mello looked on incredulously at the incomprehensible exchange that was taking place between them. What was going on?

"Come to think of it, what were you even doing hanging outside my classroom? And talking to Matt, of all people! When I asked you to become Mello's protector, I had thought these kinds of situations would be avoided!" Raito eyed the silent boy with a frown. "Or perhaps you are getting too emotionally attached…"

"Please don't ever insult me by thinking emotions would get in the way of my performance." Near replied quickly and coolly.

The older youth inspected him for a moment of silence before nodding. "You're right. I apologise."

What was this? Fragile, delicate little Near…Mello's protector? Their discussion wasn't making any sense! His mind racing frantically to decipher their comments, Mello shook his head and decided to put aside his confusion for the moment. "Uh, Raito, it wasn't like I…you see, Matt said that-"

He flinched when Raito's glare was directed suddenly at him. "Don't bother, Mello. Friendship means you don't have to explain your own stupidity."

The blonde recoiled, wounded by Raito's words. This wasn't the first fight he'd been in, and certainly wouldn't be the last. Teenage boys tussled, it was entirely normal – so why was Raito getting so worked up over this?

The boy in question gave Near a few more reprimands before leaving the roof, slamming the door behind him loudly. Mello stared blankly at nothing in particular, rubbing his forehead as he tried again to comprehend what exactly had just happened.

"He's worried." Mello started at the calmly spoken words and turned to see Near looking at him, his expression gentle. "He thinks you're getting wilder because of him, and he doesn't want to see you that way. He blames himself for every drop of blood on your body right now." Dazedly, the blonde looked at his hand, and saw that the blood on it was beginning to dry.

"But...he can't be away from you." Near looked up at the open sky above them, his eyes following clouds. "It hurts him to see you get violent or defensive of him, but he doesn't want to lose your friendship. Sometimes," a corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, and his voice became much softer as he spoke. "Selfishness can be called loyalty."

Without warning Mello pushed him down, leaning over him with a resigned expression. "I don't think…I want to know any more." He rested his head lightly at Near's neck, his lover's silvery hair brushing gently against his face. "Please stop talking," he whispered.

Still watching the sky over Mello's strong shoulder, Near smiled contentedly and did not say a word.

Where Mello's arm rested at his side, his white shirt became streaked with red.

His face was now heavily bandaged across one side, but the smirk had still not left it. Matt was sprawled leisurely across his chair, resting his feet on his desk. It was lunch break, and whoever else had planned on spending it in the classroom had apparently run off to gossip about his appearance. He enjoyed the momentary solitude.

The only other person in the room was sitting at his desk, diligently examining his textbook for the next period. Ryuzaki Hideki – putting aside his oddly disheveled appearance, the way he positioned himself was also far from conventional. Hugging one knee to his chest, the other leg was allowed to stretch over the edge of his chair and touch the floor. The textbook rested on the desk in front of him, and he stared at each page with unbroken concentration before lifting the corner lightly between his thumb and forefinger and moving onto the next one. The two students did not acknowledge each other, but the silence was not uncomfortable.

At the sound of angry footsteps Matt stood up emphatically, and slipped his hand into the worn satchel in front of him. He carefully pulled out a large, brightly decorated container, carrying it over to where Ryuzaki sat and placing it on his desk. The boy appeared to inspect it, before looking up at Matt with a thoughtful look in his eyes. The redhead returned his gaze for a long moment before going back to his seat. A smile tugged at his lips when the door suddenly slid open.

Raito entered the room with an irritated frown on his face, which grew visibly when his eyes met Matt's. He paused, apparently seriously considering attacking the boy himself, but soon resumed his journey to his desk, which still had his Maths books open and scattered across the top of it.

Seated at his desk Ryuzaki opened the container slowly, lifting out its contents and replacing his book with them. He eyed the range of desserts attentively, and did not appear surprised by the offering at all.

Raito quickly piled up his books and equipment and began to clear his desk. Matt saw him jump visibly when Ryuzaki addressed him. "Raito."

"Uh, y-yes?" Good job, Raito, Matt congratulated him mentally. Cool and casual.

"I have some cake," the dark-haired boy indicated at it with one hand.

"Yes…?" Raito said, confused.

"Would you like to share it with me?" Ryuzaki blinked at him innocently, and Matt had to stifle a laugh. He was aware of the redhead's attention, Matt realised, and was provoking Raito intentionally. How interesting.

I'm sorry, I don't like sweet things.

"Sure," Raito grinned at him widely. He pulled his chair over so that he could share more easily. Both Ryuzaki and Matt were surprised by this reaction – both had expected that same line he had given so many times before.

Not noticing their shocked looks, he picked up a fork from the box and peered at the cakes, appearing to decide which one to try first. "Actually, I don't like sweet things, but I like to try them every now and then to remind myself why I don't like them."

He finally chose a smaller, lightly frosted chocolate piece, using the lid of the container as a makeshift plate to rest it on. Raito smiled good-naturedly at the youth sitting across from him before carefully removing the sweet decorations and chocolate shavings from the top of the slice with his fork.

Ryuzaki gazed at him thoughtfully, and Matt, watching the two, wondered if that look in his eyes was one of disappointment. He smiled suddenly, and his attention turned to making his own selection. Matt stared at the disheveled student intently; refusing to take anything he did at face-value, and saw that the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Ah, thankyou for this, Ryuzaki," Raito told him, still concentrating on pulling apart the cake.

"It is no trouble," he replied politely, taking a long time to choose the perfect treat.

Matt was beginning to lose interest. In buying the desserts he had expected some entertainment, but Raito seemed completely unperturbed, and Ryuzaki appeared to be brooding. With a sigh he slumped in his chair.

"I don't usually catch a break like this." Raito continued, lifting the strawberry that had decorated his cake on his fork and placing it in front of Ryuzaki without thought. "I mean, a lot seems to be happening lately and-"

He stopped mid-sentence, apparently realizing what he had just done. Ryuzaki stared at him, his shocked expression mirroring the one on Raito's own face.

The fork slipped from his hand, and clattered loudly to the ground.

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AN: Matt and L are conspiring together, it seems... But their relationship isn't exactly a good one, a better way of describing their motives would be 'self-serving'. All the characters are a little more possessive than I usually make them, and I've found it enjoyable. Their misguided and selfish actions are kind of a way of expressing their affection for each other.

Originally I had planned to have one flashback or dream per chapter (explaining Matsuda's impromptu introduction), but I wanted to keep the pace fairly slow so people don't get overwhelmed, which is why I ended up not including one here. You can definitely expect to see more as the story progresses, though. :)