Hey! Fairylust here!
This fanfic has been well-thought through on my behalf I'd think and I would like to point some things out here and now so we can avoid a bit of confusion later on. First off Near and Mello start off as children, then I do a time skip later on. Second off they haven't came up with their aliases…yet. Third off the location and time period in the beginning is shown above the first sentence and is not apart of this whole little speech or conversation…whatever you wanna call it!
Anywayz, pwease R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note nor do I claim ownership to any of the characters, except the characters that haven't been mentioned in the Death Note anime or manga or movies. Okay? Thank you for understanding.
London, England May 7, 1664
I t was a miserable day for him.
His father had beaten him early that morning and had kept him up most of the night when he came into his room drunk and holding a sack full of stones, which he used to try and beat the poor boy to death with in his sleep. The child couldn't sleep until he was sure he was safe. Then he learned that he had lost his only true friend to some murderous fiend during the night. He didn't know who or why anyone would want to hurt someone like William; a tall boy who had constantly tangled red hair a little past his shoulders, because he couldn't get it cut, freckles were sprayed across his cheeks and nose, and he had had bright, bright blue eyes with pasty white skin.
He had been a very quiet, yet handsome type of boy who wasn't afraid to fight for the good of others. He had been exactly seventeen years old, eight years older than his younger friend, who thought of him constantly, especially after his gruesome death.
And all he (not William, but William's friend at the beginning of this paragraph, duh!) knew about it was that William was found torn in half, from the waist. William's hips and thighs appeared to have been ripped open and his stomach and chest shredded, and chunks of flesh from his throat appeared to have been ripped off. He'd been told by his father of how horrific William's death had been and how painful. His father was never afraid to hurt his feelings or frighten him or make him cry.
He had hoped his day would get better after he got to school, but it didn't.
In school they got a new student to replace William's empty desk, which had been beside the (A/N: his name isn't yet revealed, but he's the kid we're concentrating on for the most part right now, so bear with me) small boy. The new kid was tall, but lean with short blonde hair that reached his shoulders. His name was Mihael and he was from some part of Russia and was living with two young men across town.
Of course he hadn't heard half of what was said, since he'd fallen asleep. His teacher had smacked him with her yardstick because he'd fallen asleep in class, which she said was very rude. Lots of the children laughed at him, especially when she made him wear a sign that read: 'I'm worthless, because I'm stupid'. It was humiliating. Plus, some boys teased him and pulled at his white curls saying he looked more like a girl than a boy. Nobody stopped the boys, not even the teacher who was watching them or the new student who seemed to watch with a confused interest. The bullies shoved him, hit him and had called him cruel names, but still not one person lifted so much as a finger to help him.
Recess was no better.
They circled him and tugged at his curls of white hair laughing and teasing him until he felt tears build up in his eyes. He didn't let them fall, but they were there all the same. When they were called back into class the boys shoved him to the ground. He got up and was sure he'd seen someone watching him from across the playground. A young man with black, messy hair and a sinister smirk stood watching him, nothing more than that, but he felt as if his life was being drained from him as the man continued to watch him. He felt chills roll down his spine and made a dash for his classroom as he was frightened by the stranger's appearance. He was late and had his hands smacked with a ruler five times.
It hurt really badly, but he still didn't cry and he was laughed at again by the entire class, except for the new student who kept watching him with a confused sort of curiosity.
Now, as he walked home to continue his miserable existence he heard footsteps from behind him, but just kept walking, hoping that whoever was following him from school would stop it and go away, but he had no such luck. "Hey, freak!" a familiar voice called from behind him. He froze in his tracks. Soon four elder boys surrounded him. "Freak." One sneered. "Where do you think you're going?" the leader demanded glaring at him.
"Home." He mumbled looking at the ground. "I just wanna go home." He said feeling surprised he'd spoken those words. He'd never thought he'd say them and mean what he said. He didn't like his home. He never liked his home, but he didn't necessarily hate it either. He just…didn't like the person he lived with….
"Why are you so white?" the new kid, Mihael asked. "Are you sick or something?" he asked inquiringly. He didn't sound cruel or mocking he just sounded, curious.
"Yeah, he's got a weird disease that steals color from your skin, he also has a weird disease that if you touch him you'll die." One boy snickered sarcastically. Now he sounded more than just cruel, he sounded vindictive.
"He's a total freak!" another boy snickered.
"What?" the leader gasped in mock surprise. "It's a he? I thought it was a she!"
His two followers laughed with him, but Mihael didn't. He didn't get what was so funny about picking on a runty kid who couldn't defend himself. The pale child stared at the ground trying to hide behind his white mop of curls. He was only nine years old what could he do to them? Nothing. A tear threatened to slip from his left eye as he remembered that William wouldn't have put up with them.
He'd have fought back.
It's a pity I'm not more like my late friend. He thought sadly.
He heard the boys talking and before he knew what was happening they started to shove him. He fell to the ground dropping his books, which he'd been carrying. He stood back up even though he knew it was a mistake to do so. A fist connected with his face.
He allowed his body to fall to the dirty ground, again and took the rest of the beating, in silence, without making a single sound or shedding a single tear. He was kicked and hit so much that after it was over his skin was more bruised than it'd ever been. The only one who seemed to not participate in the beating was the new boy. He had stood by and watched apparently shocked that the three boys would beat up an innocent kid who hadn't done anything wrong, a kid who'd been trying to get home after having one of the worst days in his life. The three boys ran off laughing wickedly after they finished with their prey, but the fourth boy kept behind. He stared down at the sickly white skinned boy and expected to see him crying or begging for help or…or…something!
But that wasn't what he saw.
He stared down at the pale child who crawled over to his books and gathered them one by one. He didn't cry or sob, but the tears were there ready to fall. And so was the pain in his heart and all over his body. He stood shakily and stared at Mihael for a short while, but decided the blonde would've already beat him up if that was his intention. He walked with a slight limp as he headed past Mihael. Mihael grabbed him by his arm and as if by instinct his body started to involuntarily tremble. Looking Mihael in the eye, he expected to get slapped. But he wasn't.
"Are you going to be okay?" the blonde asked concerned. "They didn't break your leg did they?"
"No." he mumbled in reply. "My leg is fine."
Mihael sighed with relief. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Why does Mihael care?"
"Because." He replied huffily. "I just can." The pale boy didn't say anything; he just pulled his arm free from Mihael's grasp and pulled his books close to his chest. Mihael smiled a friendly smile and watched as the boy lowered his head his eyes hidden by a curtain of white curls. Mihael giggled. This kid is really shy. He thought to himself.
"Want me to walk you home?" he asked smiling. "Things could get rough for you if you're not careful, kid. Besides that I think your mum would be upset if her baby boy got beat up anymore today. You've been getting beat up all day. You should get her to help you cure you of all those bruises. I don't know how, but your mum might know."
"I don't got a mum." He mumbled.
"Huh?" Mihael asked gaping at him. "You what?"
"I don't got a mum." He repeated. "She ran away eight years ago."
"Oh, well, I'm sorry." The elder boy said biting his bottom lip slightly. "I didn't know, but why'd she run away?"
"Cause my dad yelled at her a lot and she was disgusted by me because of how pale I am."
"Oh…I'm sorry…."
"It's okay. I've got a dad…to take care of me…but I've mostly got myself." He said staring at the cobblestone ground. He quickly realized that he actually felt safe around this boy. He felt safer than what he did around his dad and classmates, anyway. "Okay." The blonde eleven year old said shrugging. "If you say so." They started to walk while talking, Mihael being the most talkative of the pair.
"My name is Mihael Keehle and I like my name. Especially my last name, how about you? What's your name? Do you like it? Who gave it to ya? I think you look like a person who'd be named Brook…or Fluffy…ooh, or your name could be Snowy or Dove! Because of how white you are and how dark your eyes are and how fluffy your hair is."
"Nate River." He said quietly. "My mother named me, and I do like my name, just not as much as I possibly should."
"Hey, I got the last part right! You know, I sortive got it right."
Nate continued to stare at the ground as he walked, whilst Mihael continued to speak.
"Maybe we could be friends?" the blonde suddenly said grinning at the pale boy beside him. "You don't got any of those either… do you? That was why nobody helped you at school? And that's why you got beat up back there, because you've got no friends to protect you or help you out? Is that it?"
Nate nodded snuffling. "Not anymore."
"Huh?" Mihael huffed. "What do you mean?" he asked feeling confused, why did this kid have to be so confusing? First, he had no mum, but he has a dad, then he had no friends, but he once…probably…had friends, but now he didn't. Mihael wished he understood Nate better! Then things wouldn't have been so mixed up!
"I had a friend." Nate said quietly. "His name was William E. Smith, but he died recently. Murdered."
"Oh, well, I'm really, really, really, really, really sorry." Mihael said sympathetically. He truly felt his heart breaking for Nate. This kid, this pale quiet child he'd met had a terrible life, yet he was still able to continue about quietly with some sort of dignity about him and goodness in his heart. Mihael felt some respect towards the younger boy for that. "How did he die?" Mihael asked hoping he wasn't asking something too personal or painful.
"He was ripped in half." Nate muttered apathetically. "It wouldn't have mattered if he weren't ripped in half. He would've died of blood loss if were to have survived. His thighs were torn up badly, so was his hips and stomach and chest. And his throat was torn up some. I think somebody killed him, because they knew it'd make me miserable. That makes since, doesn't it? Do you think people kill other people to hurt an entirely different person? Do you think…that they find it irresistible…seeing people cry? Mihael?"
"I don't know." The blonde replied quietly. "I don't know, Nate."
"I think they would. Humans are cruel and egotistical creatures."
Wow, this kid is kind of smart. Mihael thought as they stopped walking.
"I'm home." Nate said quietly looking to him with innocent gray eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mihael, I promise." He said as he padded to his doorstep. For a moment he stood there and stared back at the blonde boy who'd been so kind to him. "Thank you." He mumbled before he entered his house.
He tried to get up to his room quietly, but failed. As he climbed up the stairs he made a board creak too loudly. Then the yelling and swearing started. His father shouted at him about making too much noise and being worthless and useless. He was swore at and kicked at. He was hit some more and his hair was pulled at. His father struck him with his books.
It was truly terrible.
It ended as soon as Nate was stripped of his clothes and shoved out into the back yard. It was really cold out, but his dad didn't care. Nate lay on the ground curled up in a ball and he finally started crying. At least I could make a friend. The small nine year old told himself as he attempted to fall asleep, to forget about his life for even a short time.
If only a second he could forget he'd be grateful.
"I'm home!" Mihael called as soon as he'd entered his house. "How was school?" L asked. He was sitting in a chair eating cake. It was no surprise. The man always ate sweet foods, but this particular cake was no normal cake. It was a special kind, which was made with some strange ingredients. Not that Mihael really cared about L's cake, anyway. He smiled and started to tell his favorite guardian about his day.
"Oh, and I made a new friend." He said as he concluded his story.
"Is this friend another puppy?" B asked standing in the kitchen doorway. "If so then don't be surprised if they run away again." Mihael rolled his eyes fully aware that B was the one who got rid of any pets he tried to have. "No, he's a kid." Mihael spat at the red-eyed raven. B stuck his tongue out at the boy who ignored him.
"His name is Nate and he lives a little ways away from here," he told L who listened with interest, while eating his cake. "I was wondering if I could invite him over sometime? He's really quiet and he seems really nice and is really, really pale and white."
"Mihael…you know Beyond has a problem…with, um…."
"Being around small children for a long period of time?" B suggested.
"Yes, that's it." L agreed nodding and taking another bite from his cake. "He can't be around small children for a long period of time or else he'll act barmy."
"He's already barmy!" Mihael protested. "Besides, Nate isn't that small, he's just shorter than me. And besides that he's nine. That's like two years younger than me. And he's really quiet and he won't be any trouble! I promise! Besides that, he doesn't got a mum! He's got one dad and that's it! It's not fair! Why should he be miserable when nobody else is? Everybody at school hurts him and he doesn't do a thing about it! It's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair." B retorted smirking. "Your little friend, Nate will have to live with that."
Angry Mihael glared at B, then turned to L who seemed to be thinking it over. "Okay, okay." He said relenting. "You can bring your little friend, Nate over when he's older, okay? He's got to be older, though."
"I still say it's not fair!" Mihael exclaimed as he stomped upstairs.
"Kids…." B muttered heading back for the kitchen. He suddenly froze. "Hey, Lawli," he called the elder male in a lighthearted, yet mischievous voice. "I know who he's talking about. I saw him today on the school playground. He smelled so…sweet." B said smirking his sinister, yet sickly sweet smirk. L stopped eating his cake for a brief moment. He gazed disapprovingly at Beyond briefly then turned back to his cake.
"Which is why he's not coming here." L said firmly. "Not until he's older, at least, we don't need any accidents happening…or Mihael to start hating us for what the consequences could bring forth unto his little friend."
"Pfft, I could less if the little brat hates me." B scoffed. "He already hates me. I'd just want maybe a little taste of his little friend. Would that be okay Lawli? Just a tiny taste?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No." L hissed growing impatient with Beyond. "No means no."
B rolled his eyes. "You're just mad cause of my-"
"You gave in to your desire for proper nutrition."
"Yes, but it was just-"
"The third time this month."
"I can get bet-"
"Not if you don't stop giving in." L interjected. He was right, but Beyond wasn't about to admit that L was right and he was wrong. He was just too prideful. "Oh, like you never didn't let your hungers get the best of you!" Beyond snarled glaring at L.
"No, no I didn't." he deadpanned.
Beyond stuck his tongue out at L who ignored him and continued eating his cake.
