Frozen snow crunched under the boots of the small boy, as he shuffled carefully across the slippery path. Dark hues wandered to the sign on the gate, golden and shining with the light of the sun.

The Wammy's House.

The older man had said it was special place, for special children. Nate was anything if not 'special.'

The cold stung his nose, and he only stared up. Up into what would be his future, what would be his new life. That was what he had been told. The kids at the old orphanage had laughed, had mocked his every move. They had said he wouldn't last. They had told him nothing could ever get better.

Hey look, Sheep boy is going to a new school!

Snowball finally figured out he wasn't wanted, huh?

I heard they like to use the new kids as punch bags there. Better watch out, or they're going to mess you up.

Run, snowball, run! You're going to have to stop tripping over your own two feet or they're going to catch you!

"Nate, here we believe that you can restart. Become a whole new person, forget the darkness of your past. But to become a new person, you need a new name. Would you like to pick a new name?" Nate had no memories of getting to this place, no memory of coming inside. Everything was just… numb.

"…Near." The sound of his voice was barely audible, even in the quiet of the room. Another scene flashed in his eyes, and he let the memory wash over him.

"Come here, Nate! Daddy is almost done cooking supper." The woman's eyes twinkled with kindness, as she lifted the laughing boy into her arms.

"But mommy… Can't Near come eat with us? He's so lonely all by himself." The little boy stretched his arms towards the robot left on the floor, his very favorite.

"Well we wouldn't want little Near to be all by himself, would we?" His mother knelt down, grabbing the toy and placing it in her excited sons arms.

"Thank you mommy!" Nate grinned, hugging the toy to his chest, before staring up at his mother with wide eyes. "I love you."

He sat in his room, with the walls that were the same pale shade of white as his hair. Where had his little robot ended up? He had loved it like a brother, often times unable to sleep unless he had his toy tucked protectively under his arm. He had long since adjusted to life without it. He remembered the silent tears that had run down his cheeks, the quiet sobs that racked his body when he had come to the orphanage only to discover his beloved toy was gone. Sold. The children had laughed and scorned him, teasing him for being so weak. The robot had been all he had left of his mother and father, and just like that it had been taken forever.

A tear threatened to spill over his cheeks, but he swallowed it back with a bitter sigh. Would the children here laugh and tease if he cried? They probably would. People were cruel, that's all there was to it. The children who abused him were cruel. The people who murdered his parents were cruel. Everyone was cruel. The word echoed in his head, and he choked back a sob.

"It'll be like a game of hide and seek, Nate. You hide here, and mommy will come find you when we're done." The laughter was gone from her eyes now. Nate's mother was choking back tears, tucking her son into a small cabinet. "Be brave, my little prince."

Nate nodded, tiny fingers wiping the tears away with small, clumsy movements. "It's okay, mommy. When I grow up, I'll stop the bad people from coming. They won't hurt you again, and we can live happily ever after."

"I can't wait." She smiled sadly, tears pouring down her face. "You stay strong for Near, okay? He's very scared." The little boy looked at his robot with wide eyes, cuddling him to his chest.

"I will. I'll do it for Near, and for you and daddy." He promised.

Nate was crying now, not making a sound as he let himself feel for the first time in… in years. The other children had yelled at his tears, had kicked and punched him so they could see them fall again. He had quickly learned to bury his emotions, to hide them from the world. That way they couldn't be mocked.

"Hey guys! Little Nate is crying again!" The kicks were like sledgehammers, and all the tiny child could do was curl up in a ball and protect his face.

"Cry me a river, River!" The faces were cruel, the laughter twisting together and turning into a harsh chant. It was in that moment that Nate had stopped his emotions. No longer showing them, not letting anyone see the tears. They would never mock his tears again.

Near shook off the memories, dropping his pathetic bag on the bed. It was hardly the length of his arm, his only possessions tucked inside. Two spare pairs of pajamas, nothing else. It was time to take the tour.

He pushed his head back, wiping the final tears from his face. Showing emotions was bad, he would be bullied again. Resuming a blank face, he walked down the hall. He had to prove himself.

I'll stop the bad people from hurting anyone else.