Precursor || Death Note [ON HOLD]

Chapter Nine: Flashback

Author's Note:
Chapter Warning-BE PREPARED FOR ADORABLENESS!!! This chapter is the first flashback in awhile, and it's by far one of my favorites. It's just so frickin' cute!!! ;)
And by the way, expect more cuteness and more flashbacks. They're fun to write, and while some could theoretically be called "fillers," a lot of them have to do with the main plot.
Read on, dear audience, and vote/comment if you like! (And if you want to see more cute things like this, tell me in the comments.) Thanks a bunch!
End Author's Note
***
CHAPTER NINE: {Flashback}
"Hey, Mello?"
The four year-old turned to see the new girl talking to him. What was her name? Kay. That's it.
"Yeah?" he asked her. "What's up?"
"Well..." Kay trailed off awkwardly. "Um, Uncle, L, and Beyond are at the store or something, and Matt's asleep. A spilled something, and it got on Near, so while A and Roger clean it up they asked me to give Near a bath."
Sure enough, there was Near, right behind Kay, and covered in what looked like spaghetti sauce, too. He stared at Mello, who had the odd feeling he was being dissected.
"See, I've never given anyone a bath before," Kay admitted. This made sense; she was just five. "I don't know any of the other boys well enough, so I thought I'd ask you." Kay closed her eyes tightly, then opened them and looked down. "Can you help me?"
Mello stared at Kay in surprise. "Uh, yeah. I guess."
Kay's blue-green eyes brightened. "Yay! Thanks, Mello!"
Mello looked down, partially embarrassed. "It's not like I just saved your life or anything," he mumbled.
"Okay! Now, first we've gotta get Near to the bathroom!" Kay said excitedly.
Typically you'd think that an easy feat to do, but when you considered that a five year-old and a four year-old had to do the job, no matter how small Near was, you thought again.
As it was, the two somehow managed to get Near into the bathroom, and with a little pulling on Kay's part, and pushing on Mello's, they got him into the bathtub.
Kay smiled down at Near. "Oh, who's such a cute little guy?" she cooed to him as she wriggled off his shirt, then the rest of his clothes.
"He's two," Mello grumbled. "He's not that small and useless."
"You're just jealous!" Kay half snapped, half teased.
Stunned, Mello sulked.
"Turn on the water, Mello!" Kay instructed as she plugged the drain and shoved Near's clothes out of the tub.
Unfortunately she realized she forgot to take something out of the tub at the last second, just as the shower head came on.
Kay shrieked. Her hand flew out and slammed the water off.
"You're supposed to wait until I'm out of the tub, you idiot!" she shouted at Mello, who merely shrugged.
Soaked and frustrated, Kay climbed out of the tub.
This time she also made sure that she turned on the faucet and not the showerhead.
The tub filled with water while a dripping Kay glared at Mello. For a good measure she cupped her hands together, and got a handful of water that she proceeded to throw at him, though he dodged most of it.
Then Kay washed Near, with Mello mainly sitting there and occasionally helping with things.
While Kay shampooed his hair, Near fiddled with a small water gun that had been in the corner with a couple of other toys. He somehow managed to open it and fill it with water.
Then Near squirted Mello in the face.
"H-hey!" Mello spluttered, wiping water off his face. "You-!"
"And then the rivalry starts!" Kay laughed.
And laugh she did...until Near turned and got her in the face, too.
"Agh!" she exclaimed. "Thanks, Near!"
"And who's laughing now?" Mello taunted.
Then Near got him again.
After that Near ditched the water gun and started calmly playing with a toy boat.
"See? He likes me better!" boasted Kay. "He squirted you twice."
"Oh, yeah?" Mello said, annoyed. "Well-" He lunged for the gun and squirted Kay in the face again, and again. "-there."
"N-no fair!" exclaimed Kay, her short brown hair dripping.
To retaliate, she splashed some of the water from the tub at him, not expecting him to copy her and thus ensure a splash battle.
Soon the floor in the bathroom was almost as wet as the two young children themselves.
Kay sighed. "Now look what you've done!"
"Well, you started it!" Mello shot back.
"And I'm finishing it," Kay said importantly, copying something her father had once said.
Kay looked at Near in the tub. She turned to Mello. "Roger wouldn't mind if I had a bath with Near, would he?"
"U-uh?!" Mello looked at her, astonished. "I don't think so."
"I'm just gonna have my bath now, then." Kay started to take off her soaking wet shirt.
"W-wait!" Mello looked at her. "Why?"
"There's no point getting wet again later!" Kay replied; something else she's heard her father say once. "You should take one too."
Two piles of clothes were on the countertop, and Kay climbed into the tub with Near, completely unashamed as a five year-old would be.
"Hello!" she said brightly to the white-haired boy next to her.
Kay turned and looked at Mello. "Come on!" she encouraged. "It's nice and warm, and there's lotsa room."
Mello flushed slightly. "B-but...I don't wanna take a bath with a girl!"
"It doesn't matter. It's only for, like, five minutes. You're already really wet, too."
But Mello wasn't budging.
So Kay took drastic measures.
She tugged him face-first into the tub.
Mello, completely surprised, allowed himself to be dragged into the bathtub, clothing and all.
"W-what the heck?!" he protested as he righted himself. He stared at Kay, astonished and wide-eyed.
Kay began tugging off his shirt, too. "Deal with it," she snapped, fed up with Mello.
---
Five minutes later Roger came into the bathroom to check on Near's bath, and walked in to see a war-zone of wetness.
He looked, eyes wide, at the tub.
There was Near, calmly playing a splashing game with Kay, who sat next to him in the tub.
And there was Mello in the tub with them. He was sulking and occasionally getting splashed in the face by Near.
Roger looked at the trio, stunned. Once he had gotten over the surprise, though, he burst into laughter and fished around in his pocket for his camera.
Snickering, he snapped a photo.
"I know we're not supposed to take pictures of Wammy's kids, but I couldn't help myself," he said to an outraged Mello, still giggling.
---
Until the end of Kay's stay at the Wammy House, the picture was left tacked up in the room that she, Near, Mello, and Matt shared.
The day she had left, though, someone took it out.
Once Kay had left someone walked cautiously into the empty room and plucked it off the desk. They shoved it in their pocket and it hasn't been seen by anyone but them to this day.