She looked up, clear blue eyes taking in the sight of a large church-like building. It was enclosed by a Victorian style black gate that surrounded the property. The exterior certainly did resemble a church, with its large stained glass windows painted many pretty colors. Those are what drew her eye to the building the most. The artist in her was captivated by the pictures the colored glass formed, each one telling a story. In one small hand was a black umbrella, shielding her from the pouring rain.

She used to love the rain, but it was pouring on the day she watched her parents' caskets get lowered into the ground. She was alone, and the rain only reminded her of that fact. She could no longer take pleasure in watching the rain pitter patter against her window, nor could did the sound soothe her. Instead, rain made her feel like she would drown in her solitude.

The other hand held onto one of the many books she liked to read again and again. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was the title of the book clutched tightly to her chest. Turning her attention away from the orphanage for gifted children, she let her eyes wander to the kind older gentleman standing beside her.

His gray hair was slicked back, a black hat sitting on top of his head. Eyes were closed and his mustache matched the color of his hair. He adorned an all black suit and long trench coat. The man turned his head to look down upon the small thirteen year old, lips pulling into a kind smile. The wrinkles of his skin being tugged as he grinned. When he'd picked her up from the previous orphanage she was temporarily living in, he'd introduced himself as Watari.

His eyes opened to meet her innocent gaze, placing a hand on her shoulder with a comforting squeeze. "Nervous?" His voice was light and wispy, kindness oozing from his tone.

The girl with light brown hair quietly nodded her head, glancing away to break the eye contact. She couldn't handle looking people in the eyes for too long. She wanted to hide her face from the world. She had bangs that covered her forehead, and were getting a bit too long resulting in her hair being in her bright blue eyes. As a child, she'd always been called ugly by her peers at school. She began to believe them.

Watari led the girl inside and down a long hallway lined with many doors. Explaining to her that all the orphans lived in these rooms, usually having a roommate. She would have one too, a girl her own age. He told her that there were several kids in her age range here, so she had a good chance of making friends.

If only it were that simple.

He opened the door to an office and gestured for her to go inside. Sitting at a desk in the room was another old man who was a bit on the grumpier side than Watari. His hair was graying just as much and he wore a pair of small glasses on the bridge of his nose. A small nameplate on the desk indicated his name was Roger. The man called Roger was looking through some papers, which unbeknownst to the timid girl, was her records and documents.

Name: Karina Sweetnam

DOB: 10/21/1990

Sex: Female

Height: 5'0"

Weight: 105 lbs

Blood type: B

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Country of Origin: United States of America

It also listed her previous schools and the name of the orphanage she'd been living in before coming here. Underneath all that was her medical record and list of illnesses or disorders she might have, but only a couple were actually checked off, along with one other being being written in as it wasn't listed.

Anxiety (Social anxiety was written in)

Depression

Other: Tourette Syndrome

It was rare that he came across a child who had been born with Tourette Syndrome. The disorder was more common than people realized, but Roger had never met another person who had it. He could only imagine how the other children would react to her if the symptoms began to show. It could become a distraction during class time, but for now it was best to just see what would happen. He didn't wish to isolate her from the rest of her peers just because she couldn't control the noises she made.

Roger glanced up from her records to see said girl walking into his office meekly, with Watari at her side. She was short in stature, with a petite frame. Her brown hair was shoulder length, the sides curving inwards to frame her face. Her bangs covered her forehead and fell into her soft blue eyes. They held an innocence that wasn't too common in girls her age anymore, but he could see the sadness deep in them. Her skin was pale, indicating that she wasn't much of an outdoors person. A black ribbon was wrapped around her head, tied at the top into a cute little bow.

"Karina, is it?" The girl nodded her head quietly, not making a single sound. He could see she was a shy one, another thing that was rare in girls her age now. "Your things are in your room, so I'll take you there in a little while." He stood, grabbing his walking cane and shuffling around the desk. "I'll take things from here, Watari. I'll be showing her around and introducing her to the other children." The other elderly man bowed his head a bit, a habit he picked up while being in Japan with L for as long as he has been. He left the room, and the orphanage to go drive back to the airport. It was essential that he was by L's side during the Kira investigation currently going on.

Roger gestured for the girl to follow him, and she nodded quietly. Clutching her book tighter to her chest, her stomach in knots as she mulled over her fear of human interaction. They began their tour down the halls of the orphanage. He showed her the important areas, like the lunch room, the library, the classrooms, the rooms where all the children stayed in, etc. He explained to her the purpose of this establishment: to raise these intelligent children to become the heir to the world's greatest detective, L. She had never heard of L, nor did she have any interest in being a detective.

She was more of an artist and a bookworm. She has, however, read plenty of detective novels.

He briefly mentioned the ongoing Kira investigation and how dangerous the world has become. Kira is an unknown person living in Japan, who has killed hundreds of criminals using unknown methods. She already knew about that since it was all over the news. Even the US President was terrified of Kira. Roger told her that in order for their identities to be kept secret, every child in Whammy's is required to come up with a fake name. An alias, if you will. She would need one as well, for her own safety in the future.

The shy brunette pondered over what kind of alias would fit her. She'd never had a nickname before, so she didn't have anything to go off of.

All her life, she compared herself to a kite. A kite couldn't fly freely like a bird, it would only be carried by the wind for a brief amount of time before coming crashing down to the earth again. Unable to gain freedom from what held it back. She felt the same way, being held back from making a friend or talking to people because of her terrible social anxiety and depression. She had the strong desire to one day break free from the chains that held her back from her true potential. To go out into the world without feeling scared, and to make a friend or two. To have confidence in herself and hold her head up high with a smile.

From now on, she would abandon the name of Karina Sweetnam, as much as that hurt to do.

Her new name would be Kite.

---

"Huh...looks like the new kid showed up." A redhead mused, green eyes gazing out the window at the front yard down below. His bright red hair was in a sort of bowl cut, his bangs in his eyes. He wore a black and white striped shirt with long sleeves and regular blue jeans. Atop his head was a pair of orange tinted goggles. He took note of the rather cute looking girl standing beside Watari, a bright blue umbrella in her hand. He couldn't quite make out her facial expression too well from where he was, but at least he could tell she was cute. "It's a girl too."

A distinct snapping noise could be heard from across the room, the other male narrowed his icy blue eyes as he bit into a bar of chocolate. His blond hair was in a distinct bob cut and he wore a long sleeved black shirt and matching black pants. "Yeah? So what? Why should I give a shit?" He questioned with a natural edge in his voice. "If you have time to look at girls then you have time to study more."

The redhead rolled his green eyes, turning his attention to the grouchy blond. "Aren't you the least bit curious what she's like, Mello?"

Mello looked up from his textbook he was using to study some material for class, his expression deadpan. "No, Matt. I have no interest in knowing what the new kid is like. She's probably just like every other girl here anyway." By that, he meant that the other girls here were annoying or loud. At least, the ones closer to his age were like that. He never bothered with the younger kids too much.

"Roger wanted us all to gather in the play area so we can meet her. We should probably head over there now." Matt reminded his friend, who was completely disinterested in anything to do with this new person. While Matt didn't blame Mello for feeling that way, he also felt like the chocolate loving blond was being too much of a grouch. Mello grunted in response and went back to reading his textbook. Matt would have called him a nerd, but that would result in Mello death glaring him. His glares were scarier than any horrific entity he feared as a child.

"You can go if you're so curious. I'm staying here." Mello responded, sounding almost childish in the way he spoke. Matt rolled his eyes again, saving his progress on the game he was playing and shut off the gameboy. He wished that Mello would at least try and be a bit friendlier towards other people aside from him. At the moment, Matt was his only friend here. Everyone else either hated him like Coco, were indifferent like Near, or had some weird crush on him like Kitten did. Mello hated all three of those individuals, Near being the one he hated the most.

"I don't think Roger is giving us much of a choice. He said he wanted everyone to go." Matt argued, only being met with a low growl and silence. The blond male ran a hand through his long golden locks, thin eyebrows furrowed together in frustration as he closed his book shut. Standing up so forcefully he nearly knocked his chair over, Mello clicked his tongue and walked over to their door, opening it. A small grin pulled at Matt's lips as he followed close behind his best friend.

"This better not be a waste of time..." Mello grumbled, his voice deeper now that he'd been going through puberty. Matt's voice hadn't quite reached that level yet, as it was still cracking whenever he spoke most of the time. He got snickered at but it was something all boys went through when puberty reared its ugly head.

"You think anything that doesn't have to do with studying or one upping Near is a waste of time. Take a break for once...you remember what happened to the last kid that studied too much."

Mello remembered alright, and he wasn't going to let himself end up like him. He was stronger, mentally and physically. He wasn't the type of person to harm himself and he certainly didn't have thoughts of wanting to die. He wanted to succeed. He wanted to become number one and surpass even L, his mentor. To do that, he had to study his ass off no matter what. Even if he was sick in bed he would continue to further his studies. The only breaks he took were to eat, go outside for recess and sleep. Mello was known for being hyperfocused on a certain goal. He didn't have time for fun.

The two teenagers exited their shared bedroom and headed over to the playroom in silence, aside from the sounds coming from Matt's game. Despite all the games he played, the redhead was quite intelligent with incredible computer skills. Nobody could find their way around a computer's inner workings like he could. That's why, if and when Mello finally decides to leave this place for good, he'd take Matt with him as he'd need a good hacker.

He'd never consider bringing anyone else along, as they'd just get in the way. He didn't need anyone else other than Matt. Mello especially didn't need to go meet some dumb girl who he wouldn't give a shit about.

The two walked into the playroom and immediately he wanted to turn around and leave. First of all, Near was there. Well, of course he is, every orphan living here was gathered in the rather large play area. Second of all, he spotted that damn Coco leaning up against the far wall and eagerly waiting for the chance to make a new friend. Thirdly, his...admirer had noticed him walk in and attempted to bat her eyes at him all innocent-like. He knew damn well Kitten was anything but innocent. She was an annoying bitch who needed to get the hint that he'd never be interested in her. He didn't care for shallow, vapid and cruel girls like her.

Ignoring Kitten's silent attempts at getting him to notice her, he and Matt crossed the room to stand against the wall away from the other children. He took a few seconds to shoot the white haired boy on the floor a piercing glare. Near hadn't seemed to notice, and if he did, he wouldn't care. Stupid sheep and his stupid puzzles—

Mello's attention was taken away from his eternal rival as he heard Roger's grumpy voice. Looking to the doorway, the elderly man seemed to nudge someone out from behind him. A timid, mousy looking girl reluctantly stepped forward. She looked absolutely terrified to be here, not even having the courage to keep her head up. The girl was even hiding her face with her hair, a typical trait of an extremely shy person. His eyes narrowed at the delicate, frail looking creature standing before him.

This was the new girl?? He knew right then and there that she was not worth his time.

---

The walk to the playroom felt like it took hours. She walked slow to keep pace with the old man leading her there. The anxiety of meeting a bunch of kids she's never seen before was bubbling up inside her, making her chest tighten to the point it felt hard to breathe properly. Her mind was a storm of negative and jumbled thoughts, worrying what the kids would think of someone like her. She was scared, no, terrified of meeting the other children here. Even more so of the older kids who were supposed to be around her own age. She was told her roommate would be female, but that didn't ease her worries. Back in elementary school, and at the private school she had been attending up until this point, girls hated her. They bullied her just as badly as the boys did, possibly even worse than that.

She never felt like she belonged anywhere. Perhaps this would be a fresh new start for her. A clean slate, a chance to find a place she felt like she could belong. Maybe...she could make a friend. Even if it was just one, that's all she wanted.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a large play area filled with children of different ages. Her immediate response was to hide behind Roger, but he seemed annoyed as he nudged her gently out into the open. She stumbled a bit and her body seized up as she realized all eyes were on her. Her chest tightened up even more so, soft blue eyes avoiding making eye contact with anyone. Her bangs helped in shielding her pretty eyes from anyone trying to look through her. She had already begun to close herself off from everyone, building a shell around herself to keep from getting hurt.

"Go on...introduce yourself." Roger urged, sounding more like he just wanted to get this over with. She looked back at him briefly, as if pleading for him to do it for her before realizing it was hopeless. She'd...have to do it herself.

Her lips quivered as they parted, her voice coming out in a soft hush. "Um....I...I'm K-Kite....i-it's nice...t-to meet...y-you all..." As she tried to speak, her hands gripped onto the hem of her black off the shoulder sweater.

None of the children could hear her introduction, however. A girl with blonde hair in soft curls and sharp green eyes spoke up, her catty voice cutting through the silence. "What was that? No one can hear you." She wore a smug smirk on her face, her two friends standing on either side of her snickering. A dark skinned girl wearing a pink sweater and white skirt glared at the trio.

"Shut it, Kitten—"

She was swiftly cut off by Roger clearing his throat and sending a strict glare in their direction. "Please, no arguing girls." He scolded, the dark skinned girl folding her arms over her chest and puffing her cheeks out in a pout. The elderly man turned his attention back to the timid girl. "Please do try to speak louder so everyone can hear you."

Kite swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat as she tried to resist the urge to cry. She lifted her head up, scared blue eyes scanning the entire room and taking in every single occupant. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, fidgeting with her hands. A very nervous habit she had developed over the years.

"M-My name is...K-Kite. I-It's very nice to m-meet you all—" Her introduction ended when a high pitched squeak escaped her throat. Her body seized up again, face burning as she started getting strange looks. The blonde girl and her two friends snickered among themselves while the dark skinned girl continued to glare at them. Kite looked down, once again avoiding making eye contact as tears welled up in her eyes. She felt so embarrassed that she'd let a tic slip out like that. Clutching her book tighter to her chest, she tried to suppress more tics that threatened to surface.

Roger let out an irritated sigh, wondering why he decided to run an orphanage when he didn't care for children. "Be nice to her and make her feel welcome here. If I hear anything about bullying, someone's getting detention." His gaze shifted to the two most obvious people. Kitten and Mello. Both blondes reacted differently to being suspected of bullying. Kitten twirled her pretty blonde hair around her finger and played innocent. Mello scoffed and looked away, arms crossed over his chest and eyes rolling. He clearly didn't give a shit what Roger thought of him. The old man left and the children all went back to what they had been doing. Completely ignoring that Kite was still standing there shaking and on the verge of crying.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, startling her and forcing her to look up. It was the dark skinned girl who tried to defend her. "Hi! I'm Coco! You're Kite, right?" The energetic girl asked, earning a nod from the much more quiet female. "That's a neat alias! So guess what? I'm your new roommate! This is gonna be so much fun! I've been wanting another girl I could be friends with!" Coco was smiling so much that Kite wondered how someone could be so optimistic.

The word friends caught Kite off guard. Someone...wanted to be friends with her? It was such a strange feeling, as she'd never had any friends in her life. Her only companions were the characters in the books she read. It was no replacement for real friendship, however. Kite's eyes went wide just a bit, her voice caught in her throat. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what. This had never happened before...another person actually telling her they wanted to be friends.

"F...Friends?"

"Yeah! I'm your friend now!" Coco chirped with a playful smile, pulling Kite into a one armed hug. She felt her cheeks flush as she tried to force back a smile, and Coco squealed in delight as she pulled Kite into a full blown hug. "You're so small and cute! I'm jealous!" The dark skinned girl giggled as she released the timid female from her bear hug. Coco held her thin shoulders as she examined Kite's face more closely. "All you need is to cut those bangs a bit shorter and then everyone can see your pretty eyes!"

Kite wasn't used to being called cute or pretty, unless it was her parents telling her this. But they were gone, and she'd no longer hear them say she was a beautiful girl. She'd no longer hear them shower her with praise when she brought home excellent marks on her report card. They would never be amazed by her art skills ever again. But...maybe that's okay. Now...she had a friend. Not a fictional friend, but a real one. It was such an odd concept to her, making a friend for the first time. But...it felt good.

She started to feel a bit less lonely, and her entire world brightened up as soon as the pink clad girl smiled at her. That radiant smile was contagious, and Kite couldn't help her lips tugging up into a similar expression. Coco squealed and hugged Kite again. "Gosh, you are just so freaking cute!!"

As she was being hugged, Kite's blue eyes began to wander around. The blonde girl and her two friends had walked past her and Coco, and the look she received nearly brought back many unpleasant memories and feelings. She resembled all the other girls back in elementary school that bullied her constantly. She tore her gaze away from Kitten's and it landed on a couple of boys standing farther away from everyone else.

One was a redhead wearing goggles on his head. He looked absorbed in whatever game he was playing on an old hand-held system. One that was popular back in the 90's. The boy (at least, she thought that was a boy) standing next to the redhead had blond hair in a bob cut that went down to his neck. He wore all black and seemed agitated. The thing about him that stuck out the most to her, was his icy blue eyes. They were so striking and hypnotizing that she couldn't tear her eyes away. Her own blue gaze met his in that moment, and she knew right then and there...

...She felt both scared of and drawn to him.

Kite had to look away from him when Coco pulled away, taking one of her hands and leading her out of the play area. "I know you should probably meet everyone, but you seem overwhelmed right now. So! I'll show ya where our room is! Just let the mighty Coco lead the way!" The energetic thirteen year old had begun to skip ahead of Kite as they walked down the long hallway together. The mousy girl panicked a bit and briskly walked to catch up with Coco.

---

Mello felt angry and irritated. It was a waste of his time to go to the play area just to meet some...timid mouse of a girl. Matt had been right about her looks, she was cute. But since when did Mello ever give a shit about looking at pretty girls?? She was far too timid for his liking, and worst of all, Coco had gotten to her. No doubt, this Kite girl would be someone he'd come to loathe too. He'd rather meet a girl who was intelligent and level headed, not loud females like Coco and certainly not timid little church mouses. He had zero patience for all the stuttering and indecisiveness.

As he watched Kitten leave, she gave Kite this look. He knew the blonde bitch had found her newest target, and she'd be an incredibly easy one too. She seemed like a doormat, just letting people walk all over her. As Kitten walked out of the room, his gaze met Kite's for the briefest of moments. For some strange reason...

...he couldn't look away. In fact, he wanted to get closer but seeing Coco there made him rethink that choice. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he silently observed Kite's expression. She was entranced by him, it seemed.

"Hey Mells, I know she's cute but you don't have to stare so much. You're gonna look like a creeper doing that." Matt commented from beside him, a smug grin plastered on his boyish face. The redheaded gamer received a sharp glare from Mello.

"Just fucking shut your hole, Matt."

The redhead snickered to himself as Mello's gaze followed the two girls until they were gone. It was then their turn to walk out of the play area, heading back to their shared room. He had to get back to studying. His mind went to the book Kite had been clinging onto like it was a stuffed animal. He guessed she liked to read, and enjoyed whimsical fantasies with nonsense plots.

He nearly smacked himself for letting his mind go back to that girl. She was nothing special to him, and he saw no reason to even speak to her. The troublemaking duo arrived back in their room, and while Matt went back to staring at his game screen, Mello sat back down at his desk to resume studying. That doe-eyed stare of hers kept entering his mind, no matter how many times he tried to ignore it.

He was already drawn to her and had yet to fully realize it.

---

Coco opened the door to her room and walked inside, plopping down on her bed. Kite entered right after her, her head glancing around to take in her new surroundings. The walls of the room were colored a pastel pink, it felt so warm and inviting. The floor was covered with clean white carpeting. In the room were two beds on each side, two dressers as well as small night stands next to the beds. A bathroom was built in complete with a tub and shower head. In the middle of the room was a small table, great for sitting on the floor together and doing homework and having snacks. Next to Kite's night stand was a bookshelf. It wasn't very large, but it was just big enough to hold the books that she did manage to bring with her.

Besides, she wouldn't have been able to bring that many books.

Coco's bed was decorated with a cute polka dotted bed set and pillows that were ruffled at the edges. The furniture was colored white, going nicely with the pink walls. On Coco's nightstand was the kind of lamp you'd expect a teenage girl to have. Beads dangling down from the pink lampshade. Coco really seemed to like the color pink, and she was a bit on the girly side. Kite didn't mind, as she was quite girly and feminine herself.

Looking to her own bed, it had a plain bed set but she would be allowed to get her own at a later date. There was no lamp on the night stand, but she had a small plug in night light packed away in her suitcase. Said luggage was sitting on her bed, as well as her bag full of her books. Watari must have taken her stuff in while Roger was giving her a tour.

"So? What do you think?" Coco asked, swinging her legs back and forth as she smiled and tilted her head.

"I...It's nice. I-I feel...comfortable here." Kite replied, voice soft and quiet as she placed her Alice book on one of the shelves. She turned back to Coco, who stood up with a little twirl. She looked so optimistic and happy. "Um...w-we're...really friends?" She asked, uncertain and keeping her gaze off the dark skinned girl.

"Yeah! Of course we are! We're roommates, so that automatically makes us friends!"

Tears formed in Kite's eyes, falling down her round cheeks. Her shoulders shook and her chest heaved, her form hunching as her hands clutched at where her heart was. Coco, confused and worried, put her arm around Kite's thin shoulders and leaned in a bit closer. "Hey, don't cry. What's wrong, Kite?" The dark skinned girl cooed softly, rubbing small circles into the other's back.

"I...I've...ne-never had a fr-friend...b-before..." The timid brunette admitted, glancing up at Coco as she tried to wipe away her tears. The taller girl blinked for a moment before her large smile returned. To Kite, her smile could brighten up the entire room. Coco shined so brightly, brimming with confidence and never ending optimism.

"Then I'll be your first friend!" Those words deeply affected Kite, causing her to clutch her chest even tighter. Her body was trembling and her tears continued to fall, but the shy brunette was smiling right back. She almost couldn't believe what she was hearing, it seemed too good to be true. But it is true. Neither of the girls noticed, but the rain had stopped and the sun peeked out from behind the dark clouds. It's rays pouring into the room through the window and shining brightly on the two. Coco looked so radiant in that moment.

My...first

...friend.

---

I've been wondering if I should set this story to Mature due to Mello's potty mouth. What do you guys think? I'm sure people don't care, but you never know. 

This story has been on my mind for years, ever since I first created Kite back in 2009. She's my baby, and one of my oldest OCs. I've spent years working on her and fleshing her out, so I'm really excited to write this story as a fellow Death Note and Mello fan. c: Let me know what you think so far! 

Edit: I'm adding a bit of a soundtrack to this story, and the OST from A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) seems to really fit to me. Also drew a quick picture of a 13 year old Kite and I'll be doing one for some of the other orphans that play a role in the story.