Hated Epilogue

Epilogue

The six young heroes watched as Giambe Borgognoni Vimercati lay still in a puddle of his own blood. He had been surprisingly easy to take down. He was, after all, 65 years old and something of an alcoholic. Mello's fighting skills combined with the team's power had killed him almost instantly. As a detective and man of justice, L hadn't been keen on the idea of killing Giambe at first. But by the time Alice finished showing him Giambe's illegal trades and business, his remorse faded.

Now, they were happy to be at Wammy's House once again. Watari had prepared hot chocolate for everyone, though Alice didn't touch hers. Mello, as a result, drank hers along with his. The only thing that didn't seem to add up was Mello's stop to his room...that last a good 20 minutes.
They took turns telling Watari and Near what happened; while Watari was expressive throughout the whole thing, Near sat in the corner twirling with his hair. Finally, after what seemed like a century, Near stood up and asked, "Mello, are you sorry for what you did?"
"Yeah," Mello nodded, "More than you can imagine. I just..." Mello sniffed and ran a hand through his hair, "...I just wish I could take it all back." Near glanced at Mello's gloves, which nearly reached his elbows.

The albino's eyes glowed indigo. He threw his hand in the air, and a bright blue ribbon flew out of his hand like an eel. The ribbon flew into Mello's forehead. The blonde started yelling in pain as the ribbon entered his mind, but with every passing second, his shouts grew weaker. Finally, as the ribbon disappeared in his head completely, Mello fell backwards.
Harper grabbed him, one arm wrapped around his waist and the other cushioning his head. "NEAR! WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Yeah, what's the big idea?!" Jo-Jo snapped, slamming her mug down on the table.

His eyes dark once again, Near said in a monotone voice, "I have erased Mello's memories of the past few weeks. When he wakes up, he won't remember seeing L at Wammy's House three weeks ago, and of course, he won't remember everything that came after that. It'll be tricky, explaining how he got those scars and lost his powers, but I'm sure Watari and I will think of something."

"B-but..but why?" Sammy asked, "The dude actually LEARNED something! He knows L cares about him! Why would you cancel his memories?"
"Because, Sammy," Near said, "Mello cut himself while he was in his room." Alice's eyes widened, "Is THAT why I smelled blood when he came back?"
"Yes." Near walked to the unconscious boy and lifted up his gloves. Sure enough, there were two fresh cuts just under the wrists.

L's eyes glowed white for a second. Then, in a melancholy voice, he said, "I cannot believe I did not notice. Mello is not as strong-minded as he wants us to believe. He is actually quite hard on himself. Insecure, even. He was ashamed of what he did, therefore he cut himself as a reminder of these past events."
Near nodded and said, "Believe me, everyone. It's better this way."

"But it still doesn't guarantee it won't happen again." Sammy said. In a moment, all eyes were on her. She said, "L, you made Mello feel unwanted. How do we know the other orphans don't feel the same?"
L pursed his pale, thin lips. Without another word, he put his mug down and walked out of the kitchen.

The girls shared looks before following him. Harper sniffed as she placed Mello on the ground and stroked his face.
They found him standing in the playground, his hood up. All the children had stopped playing and were staring at him. The younger kids were hiding behind the older kids or slides, but the older ones looked ready to beat him up.

L stood still for a moment. Then, he slowly slid his hood off, revealing his wild black hair and injured face. Some kids yelped or gasped at his wounds. In a monotone voice, he said, "...I am L."

~*~

"I still can't believe you did that!" Jo-Jo ranted as L walked in their living room, "I mean, I thought you were against making bold moves! Now, once those kids grow up and leave, what's to say they won't get caught and tortured in spilling what you l--"

Jo-Jo's body glowed black. A second later, she was lifted into the air. Sammy stared for a moment before taking a picture with her iPhone. L turned to the vampire and said, "I did what needed done. Though I admit it was not the smartest thing in the world, it WAS the right thing. Now, please excuse me..."

He ran up the stairs. Jo-Jo drifted back to the ground as the girls stared where he'd gone.
"Kiddo," Jo-Jo said, "Maybe you should go talk to him." Alice's eyebrows shot up as her cheeks turned scarlet, "Me? Why me?"

"Because he digs you," Harper joked, "Seriously, though. I'm starting to think you're the only person he'll open up to."
"In more ways than one." Sammy muttered. Harper's face turned a bit green as Alice sighed and started up the stairs.

"OK, I'll try." Alice said, emphasizing on 'try'. She ran up the stairs and entered L's dark room.
L was curled up on his unmade bed, his head in his hands. The were-cat was sure her heart would break at seeing him like this. "Hey," Alice said softly.
L looked up. When he saw her, he quickly cleared his throat and wiped his eyes, "A-Alice. Um...what can I do for you?"

"I was actually gonna ask you the same thing." Alice sat next to him, "L, talk to me. Please." L was silent a moment. Then, he inhaled sadly and said, "I have made a mess of things, have I not?"
"Mello's case was, like a one-out-of-ten cases. It happens." Alice tried to sound encouraging, but L seemed even more melancholic.
"That is where you are mistaken." He sighed, "A."
Alice arched an eyebrow, "A who?"
"A was...one of my original successors. I pushed him in being perfect. I tried to mold him into my own image. That made him snap. He committed suicide shortly before I moved out." L said, closing his eyes as the memories showed up.

"But that means...you witnessed it?" Alice asked, her eyes wide with concern. L nodded, his head bowed.
There was a moment of silence. Then, Alice wrapped an arm around L and leaned her head against his shoulder. L was stiff, but he didn't pull back.
"L, what happened to you and A was not fair. But Mello's being given another chance to start over. If he was already cutting himself, it only would've gotten worse. Near did the right thing." She said softly, trying to ignore the weight in her chest. L nodded and leaned his head against Alice's.
"Thank you. Thank you for understanding." He said softly. Alice smiled and patted his back, "Come on. You should get some rest. It's been a long day."

L nodded and lay down on his bed. Alice pulled the covers over him and stood over him. Then, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Goodnight, L." A small smile appeared on his alabaster face, "Goodnight, Alice."
And with that, she left the room.