A/N: Ok this is my very first fanfic! ......well my first one on here anyway. I written fanfics before but all of them were short, crappy and not really thought out…..So here's my first serious fanfic! Yay! So please be sure to review :3

Italics=flashback

Warning: This story contains depressing themes, disturbed thoughts and YAOI!!!! ……But that part is later XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters; they belong to creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takashi Obata. I simply own this fanfic.

Enjoy!

Prologue

*pant, pant*

Mello ran as fast as he could. The late autumn air stung his already exhausted lungs as he gasped for breath. Skillfully dodging the moss covered trees and their occasional raised roots, the blonde dared to take a glance behind him. Though the thicket made it hard to see their figures, he could hear his chasers faint voices steadily growing louder, indicating that they were gaining on him.

Despite this, Mello slowed to a stop in order to catch his breath, and also to adjust the small bundle he held in his thin black jacket. Even if his pursuers got close, it would be equally hard to see him through the thickness of the parks' trees.

That is, as long as he kept quiet and still. But the moving package he carried was making that rather difficult. Why he even bothered with it was beyond him.

"Hey! I think I see him!" a boy in the distance yelled.

"Get back here kid!"

'Damn…' Mello cursed to himself and began running again. He knew he would be in trouble- not only by the group of teens that weren't too far behind him, but also by Roger and the other Wammy staff. For this was one of the rare days in which the kids were allowed out of the orphanage grounds and into the city where they could enjoy the outside world, even if it was only for a while. But the kids were kept under a close eye of course and were only let out in sections, to avoid problems…..

…..like the kind Mello was in now.

The young boy's legs worked furiously, crunching the fallen leaves beneath his feet. His heart was pounding as the cool air assaulted his sweating body. He felt as if he just escaped from prison and was being chased by the apparently not-too-watchful guards. Of course the situation was much lighter than that, almost annoyingly so.

Suddenly, Mello stumbled into a clearing. The mid noon sun shone brightly in his eyes as it reflected off of the trees rich fiery leaves. Reflexively, his put up one arm to shield them while still supporting his extra passenger with the other. Through his now shaded gaze, he could see some of the other kids playing on the far end of the large park. Much too far to notice the endangered boy.

"Alright kid," the largest, red-headed boy started as he and his cronies stepped into the clearing. They had on upper-class school uniforms so it was obvious that they wealthy kids that came from some snobby border school. But they hardly looked the part since their clothes were extremely disheveled. The high schoolers were probably too rich to care. "Just hand it over and we might not hurt you." He began to laugh. It was a sickly, over confident laugh in which his two followers began to join in. They cracked their knuckles and developed mischievous smirks, giving off cliché bad guy auras.

Mello felt the sudden urge to gag.

He hated these kinds of people. They were the smug, bully type that only acted tough and couldn't back it up. People who think that just because they have money they can do whatever the hell they want to. They were the type that would pick fights with those they knew were weaker than them, just for the free kicks. It disgusted him….almost as much as a certain white-haired genius. But that's another story. Ignoring the cackling laugh the young boy simply held on to his bundle tighter.

Seeing this, the boys only laughed harder.

"What's this? Is he seriously trying to protect that thing?" Idiot number one said with a smug grin on his face.

"Ha, the little sissy's trying be a brave hero, huh?" Idiot number two chimed in, a little too happily. The situation was like candy to them, and they were dying to take a bite.

"You guys can go to hell." Mello said, finally breaking his silent act. He glared at the acne ridden teens until their laughs died down into silence. Mello could've used this chance to run away, but his pride wouldn't allow him to be caught in his current predicament. Not with what his was carrying.

Suddenly, Mello was shoved to the ground, hitting it with a soft thump. Luckily they were on the parks' thick grass or his fall may have actually hurt. But the strong "fresh cut" smell was less then enjoyable.

"You think you're so tough, stealing our fun like that…." The red headed ringleader hovered over the blonde, looking down at him menacingly. "But you're nothing but a little brat!"

The burling teens' heel then came crashing down on Mello's forehead, knocking the slender boy down onto his back. Instinctively, he rolled onto his side as a barrage of kicks came down onto his back. The teens began their horrendous snickering again as they assaulted the boy beneath them. Curling into a fetal position, Mello just hugged his small assemblage to his chest, desperate to protect it.

He shut his eyes……

He shut his mind……

He didn't move, he didn't yell, he didn't even think. The young blonde just stayed huddled up on the ground….trying to endure the pain.

He wanted to get up and fight the bullies, to fight back. But he didn't, or rather he couldn't. His mind knew that he was in trouble, that he needed help, but his body refused to move. Instead he just remained in that humiliating position.

It was strange though….Mello felt stupid, humiliated and his back was beginning to ache from the abuse…..But he didn't care. He didn't know why….but he just couldn't bring himself to care about the current situation that he was in. He only knew that he wanted it to end.

Mello shut his eyes tighter, shutting down his senses at the same time; trying to bring the end sooner. Soon the once annoying laugh from his attackers began to fade in to the background and the blows became a mild numbing sensation. He was withdrawing into himself. For the first time he actually felt the darkness that shrouded his sight begin to engulf his mind and body.

It actually felt nice……..

……But then, the numbing sensation stopped all at once.

Had the young orphan completely withdrawn? Allowing the darkness to devour him to the point where he could no longer feel at all? Or was it simply that he had been knocked out by his aggressors?

His question was answered when a familiar voice brought him back to reality.

"Three against one seems extremely unfair, does it not?"

It was Near…..

Senses or no senses, Mello had no trouble recognizing that monotone voice of his.

"Hmph, you a friend of this pansy or something runt?" the ringleader barked out at the much shorter boy.

Not fazed in the least, Near simply replied, "Yes, we could be considered friends and I would very much appreciate it if you left him alone now"

"You don't have the right to tell us what to do kid." The boy on the left of the leader said, folding his arms seeming satisfied by his words.

"Yeah so get lost before we have to take care of you too!" The boy on the right said, sounding equally satisfied. Mello heard footsteps and knew that the boys were starting towards him again. He didn't move, instead he prepared himself for the next round of blows. When they didn't come, the blonde shifted so that he could peek over his shoulder. There he saw that the young genius had stepped in front of his motionless body, blocking the teens' advances.

"Move it shorty!" The ringleader grabbed Near by his shirt, lifting his light body a few inches off of the ground. The albino calmly began to twirl a strand of his pure white hair between his thumb and forefinger. He stared into the older boy's eyes with his gray ones.

"No."

Though Mello couldn't see his face, he could hear in the firmness of his voice that Near was far from being swayed. He was not one that was easily threatened. But why was he doing this? He never showed any specific hatred towards Mello, but Near still didn't seem like the type that would go out of his way to help him, especially since there was nothing for him to gain from it.

"Why you little," The teen failed to hide the irritation in his voice as he gripped Nears' shirt tighter. He lifted his hand up above the young genius's head, but just as he was about to swing, he heard a high, piercing scream.

Everyone, including the still grounded Mello looked to see that it was a young girl that had let out the scream. Another Wammy House orphan named Linda, to be specific.

"Kya! Roger! Some guys are attacking Near and Mello!" Linda screamed as she ran off, her brown pigtails dancing behind her small frame.

"Crap," the one holding Near immediately dropped him and turned to the others. "Forget the brats; we need to get out of here."

With a few last scowls and curses thrown their way, the two orphans watched as the teens hurried off, exerting their anger out on a few poor trees along the way. Once they were gone Near shifted so that he was sitting in his usual position. Mello stayed were he was, gripping the ground in embarrassment. To have been helped out by his rival was the last thing he wanted. And because he had helped him, he ruined the chance for the blonde to be taken by the pain numbing darkness. Pushing that aside, Mello decided to sit up, but in a way so that his back was to Near.

"Is Mello alright?" Near asked. There was still no emotion in his voice, no hint of any actual concern.

"….I'm fine." The blonde answered. He had been in plenty of fights before but this is the first one in which the other side walked away without a scratch. Ignoring the chilly wind, Mello unzipped his jacket to allow a small black creature to crawl out onto his lap. He smiled a little, seeing that it wasn't hurt.

"A cat?" Mello jumped slightly at the sudden closeness of Near's voice. The white haired boy was now sitting right next to the chocoholic. "Mello was protecting it from those teenagers."

"Yeah…" It wasn't a question but Mello answered it on reflex. He rubbed the kitten's head. It trembled a bit under his hand but didn't move away. After a moment, it began to purr softly.

"It's strange…why would Mello bother to save a cat? It is quite out of character for him." The pale boy twirled his finger in his hair as he spoke. As much as he hated to admit it, and he really hated to admit it, Near was right. He wasn't exactly the type that came to the rescue of others, especially not cats.

But for some reason, when he saw them….

He couldn't help himself……

* * *

When the kids arrived at the park Mello immediately started walking off on his own. He preferred to go around exploring when they got the chance to leave the Wammy grounds, to enjoy the temporary freedom to the fullest. Though he was pretty social with the other kids, they preferred to enjoy the large playgrounds and stores rather than explore and Matt usually stuck with the teachers when they were out. He got in more game time that way. Even if anyone had volunteered to go with him this time, he would have turned them down.

He needed to be alone right now. His head had been aching ever since that morning and he wanted to get some peace from all the excitement of the other orphans. Especially Near. He was surprised that the teachers were even able to get the albino out of the orphanage and into the outside world. Either way, he didn't, no; he couldn't be around him right now.

As Mello wandered aimlessly through the park, careful to avoid the Wammy staff, he suddenly heard voices. Voices that sounded much older than those of the young orphans. Suddenly very curious, Mello followed the voices until he found a group of three teenage boys. They seemed to be huddled around something. And that something must have been pretty funny for the three to be laughing as loudly as they were.

Mello stood out of sight, behind a large oak tree, trying to see what is was that had captured their interest. His wonders were answered when one of the teens shifted to the side, allowing a small black cat to come into view. The little creature was shivering violently, obviously terrified.

"Ha, stupid cat," the largest boy grabbed the unlucky kitten by the nape of its neck. "How about you play with us for a while?"

He shook the cat and pulled its tail violently. It mewled and struggled to get free, but all in vain. Mello didn't know why he did what he did next. He could have easily walked away, avoiding the older boys and their wicked form of entertainment. But instead he moved away from the safety of his tree and toward the trio.

"What kinds of losers torture a defenseless animal?" Mello said, drawing their attention. "You guys must be pretty badass to do something as low and dirty as that."

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to kid?" The large teen with the spiked red snorted at him. Mello's profiling skills told him that he was their leader.

"Scram pansy, we're busy" the delinquents were about to turn their attention back to the crying kitten when one them suddenly screamed. Mello inched closer to see that the cat had bitten one of the boys' fingers and was still holding on.

"Damn it! Get this thing off of me!" The bitten victim shook his hand wildly, desperately trying to get rid of the source of his pain. Mello grinned despite himself; the boy really had it coming.

Finally, he was able to force his attacker off, sending it to the ground and earning some extra scratches in return. He gripped his bleeding fingers and glared at the cowering kitten.

"Ugh, you little shit!" The boy made a move towards it but the sly cat quickly ran and took shelter behind Mello's legs. The orphan reached down slowly to pet the creature. It tensed a bit but then leaned into the kind boy's ministrations. When Mello saw the teens advance toward him, he instantly picked up the scarred kitten, cradling it in his arms.

"Hand over that cat kid." The red head said with authority, reaching his hand out unbeknownst to the fact that Mello wasn't exactly the obedient type.

"Heh, and why should I do that?" Mello said with a smirk. A better question would be why shouldn't he? What these punks did was definitely none of his business, yet there he was, protecting what they found to be their "property". He could probably still just put the cat down and walk away like nothing happened. But as the thought crossed Mello's mind, his arms unconsciously began to hold the kitten closer.

"Listen here kid, you better just do what the grown-ups say, if you know what's good for you."

"I might listen when I actually see some grown-ups around." Mello retorted, while tucking the small cat into his jacket, making sure to keep it shielded from the chilly autumn air.

"Hey!" Before the redhead could even get the word out, Mello took off running with the delinquents in hot pursuit.

* * *

After that…well that chase led him to where he sat now. And next to none other than his rival, of all people.

"I see…" Near said after listening to Mello's story. "But that still does not explain why Mello did what he did."

The blonde sighed at this. He hated Near. He hated that Near helped him. He hated that he was sitting next to him, asking him questions that he himself didn't even know the answers to.

But for the first time in his life…he didn't care.

He didn't care about his injuries or a certain white-haired genius. All he cared about was feeling that same numbing sensation he felt before. He suddenly craved for it. He looked down at the now dosing kitten and gently stroked its head. He longed for the release of sleep, to return to that darkness.

"Here they are Roger!" Linda's high voice pierced the silence as she, Roger and Matt came their way. They were also followed by male teacher, one that Mello didn't recognize. Maybe he was new.

"Wow, Mel, you're a mess!" The gamer bent down and stared at Mello, lifting his goggles to get a better look. "Geez! And you're bleeding too!" There was dread in his voice as he looked over his best friends' injuries.

Roger hurried over and kneeled by the blonde, lifting his hair to see the scrape. Blood then dripped down his nose, accenting his injury.

"Dear gods, Mello what happened to you?!" Roger was a bit pale. He genuinely cared for all the orphans and would become frantic whenever anything happened to them. Mello knew that Roger seen the kitten in his lap but he disregarded it either out of confusion or because he felt that it wasn't important at the moment.

"I'm fine Roger…" Mello answered quietly, his distant voice sounding completely foreign to him. Roger seemed less than convinced but he then turned to Near and eyed his once white clothing, which was now soiled with dirt and grass stains.

"I was not hurt; it is Mello that needs the medical attention right now." Near said, feeling his gaze. Mello tried to stand up but winced in pain. Roger and Matt silently helped him to his feet and onto the back of the (new) male teacher. Roger gently took the kitten from Mello. It didn't resist the shift in carriers; instead it just settled down in his arms. Probably too tired to care anymore……just like Mello.

It was now late in the afternoon so the other orphans were already preparing to leave the playground. They knew that their free day was finally creeping to its end, but they were ready to leave with smiles.

Mello silently wished he could be like them as he rested his head on his carrier's shoulder. He listened to Matt's talking, not exactly sure of what he was saying. He heard Linda sobbing silently- she was always crying when it came to the other orphans. He would almost consider her pretty nice person, if only she was so annoying. He also heard Roger and the teachers' worried conversation, but all of it seemed far away now…..

Even the white haired genius was a just another figure now…..Just another object in the world.

His consciousness was beginning to fade as the boy was overcome with sudden exhaustion. His body felt unusually heavy and the outside sounds became like dying echoes. As his vision blurred, Mello opened his mouth and spoke two words. After that, he slowly drifted into a sound sleep.

No one seemed to have heard him; no one except the pale genius. However these words caught him off guard, making him stop in his tracks. The ever watchful Linda noticed this and stopped too.

"Are you ok Near?" she sniffled. He nodded quickly, not wanting her to catch on to his rare confusion. After a moment she decided to believe him and kept walking. Near soon followed but was trailing behind with Mello's words stayed stuck in his mind.

'It hurts…'

As he heard those words in his mind again, Near suddenly felt like something was wrong. He couldn't tell why, but those two words filled him with an unfamiliar feeling of panic. They were simple enough but the young genius knew that there was a deeper meaning behind them……

A/N: So is it good? I hope that it wasn't too confusing….but then again a lot of stuff will be explained it later chapters, so don't fret. Also I guess this was pretty long for a prologue….

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