The School Bus Is Near

"I don't think that this was the greatest idea that you have ever had." Matt commented to a very irritated looking Mello.

"Oh, shut up!" Said blonde snapped. "It was just as much your fault as it was mine!"

"How was it? It was your idea! I just got dragged along!"

"It was your fault for not stopping me." The blonde retorted sharply. Though, he knew that he had messed up, knew it was his fault, but he was just too stubborn to do anything about it.

"I didn't even know what you were going to do!"  The gamer cried indignantly.

"Well, now you do so it's your fault. As soon as you saw me slipping something into his food you should have stopped me."

Both of the teenagers looked towards the door as it opened, revealing Roger with Near at his side. The elderly man looked at the blonde and red head sternly before going to his desk and settling down in his chair.

"Now, what do you both have to say for yourselves?" The teens just looked at each other and then back at Roger, then at the younger albino that was playing with some toy cars on the floor, then back at Roger again. "Well?"

"Um.....er...." The red head was scratching the back of his head in nervousness.

"What Matt means to say is that it was not our fault." Mello said, trying to save their asses.

"How was it not, Mello?" Roger asked, still having that stern look on his face.

"You see...." Mello tried to explain but then he fell silent when Matt elbowed him and pointed at the floor where Near had been just seconds before. "Where did Near go?"

"Don't change the subject matte-" Roger broke off when he looked around for Near and then he hurried out the door. Mello looked out the door and watched as the old man retreated. Once he had turned a corner the blonde looked back at his best friend.

"Come on, Matt." He said.

"Bu-" He was stopped short when Mello grabbed his arm and started to drag him down the hall.

"Come on and stop being a baby." The blonde stated as they trailed after Roger. Once they reached one of the many living rooms in the place they stopped before going in. Mello heard Linda's soft voice coming from inside the room along with Roger's stern voice. "They're in here." With that he drug Matt into the room.

"How is he?" Said red head asked as he stood against the wall with his best friend.

"Not good. Just look at him." Linda said when she turned to look at the duo. "Mello, you should be ashamed of yourself." Then she turned back to look at Near, concern flashing in her eyes.

The white haired pre-teen was currently playing with a small toy school bus, and looking at it with wide eyes as he made it fly through the air. He never made a sound, just continued to make it move and look at it with those eyes. Those eyes that were wider than they normally were, that should never be that wide on a person.

"Why should I feel ashamed?" Mello said in an uncaring manner. "He seems to be doing fine."

"I think you should re-think that statement." The boy beside him said as Near just stuck the front of the bus in his mouth while Roger and Linda were trying to get him to stop trying to eat it.

"Okay, maybe I could have thought this plan out more." Mello muttered.

"You see? This what happens when you put unknown substances in people's food."

"I knew what it was." Mello muttered, and his friend just shot him a look.

"Mello, what did you do to him to make him act like this?" Linda asked, almost as sternly as Roger had.

"Why should I tell you?"

"What. Did. You. Do?" She was acting extremely out of character at the moment, almost scary. We say 'almost' because Mello isn't the type to admit he is afraid of a girl that was younger than him.

"Nothing, really..."

"Near! Get that out of your mouth right now!" Roger's booming voice made the blonde shrink back from the girl in front of him.

"Let's just say LSD shouldn't be used as a prank....."