Mello x Near

The tale of two souls, very different from each other discover they have a lot more common than they believe.

Red, love and hate. Two emotions that really aren't as far apart as the world says they are.

The Missing Piece

by

The Weeping Dragon

Chapter I

The Puzzle of Past and Present

Mello absolutely adored chocolate. In fact, there was nothing more on this mortal earth that he enjoyed more. However, today was going to be different...

On a fine Sunday evening Mello found himself alone as usual and was practically dying of boredom. It had been years since someone had hired him for a case and since Kira had been destroyed, nothing eventful had stepped into his life. Heaving himself off the couch, he strolled about his room sluggishly. The entire place was hideously unkempt. A layer of dust at least an inch thick rested upon every article of save his favorite leather armchair that sat at the north end of the room. Miscellaneous pieces of trash and chocolate rappers lay strewn about the premises and bullet holes from every gun imagineable lined the walls. Some portraits had the unfortunate occupation of being targets for a few of them had either been torched by a flamethrower or shot to death by Mello's revolver. The drapes slashed, the leather sofa torn. It looked like the cage of a madman.

Mello cursed under his breath. He hadn't been thinking straight since Kira was gone. Once he even considered utilizing the power of the Death Note to kill his solitary enemy...a white haired boy who calls himself Near. Ever since they had been children, Near had always won favor with L. To Mello, L was his god, his savior. Nothing surpassed his immortal intelligence...but, when L had fallen, Mello was utterly devastated.

His mind wandered through the past, and the blond found himself at the tender age of seven. He was, as usual, snacking upon a bar of milk chocolate when he found Near a short distance away. The white haired boy wasn't doing anything wrong, in fact, he was merely working on a ten thousand piece puzzle that was far from being completed. Slightly amused and somewhat annoyed by his presence, Mello strode over to Near and peered down at him. Evidently ignoring the "intruder," Near simply continued with his puzzle. Perturbed by the silence, Mello scowled and kicked the puzzle furiously. It shattered instantly; pieces flew everywhere and some had been crushed into the earth. Mello remembered smiling devilishly at Near, hoping to produce a tear or possibly a frown. However, the white haired youngster merely collected the puzzles pieces and left to find a new spot inside the house, far away from Mello. The blond stood there, holding his chocolate bar so tightly it crumbled within his grasp. Obviously Mello was instructed to behave...but, around Near, he always felt trapped, under-appreciated...and almost afraid. Refusing to believe in these feelings, Mello hurled his chocolate bar as far as his strength would allow him. He thought of the most horrible words a seven year old could conjure up and whispered them to himself. He was never able to explain why he hated and why he loathed Near so much. After all, the white haired boy only ignored his every move, turned away at a chance at conversation...and L loved him more than I! Presently, Mello shivered uncontrollably at that hideous thought. Just to think that L, his master, had loved someone such as Near.

Mello threw himself into his comfy leather chair and rested his head in his hands. His fingers locked around his fine, blond hair and pulled tightly. The absolute thought of it all was simply sickening. His mind wandered once more through the stream of time where he found himself yet again at the age of seven, only this time it was later that evening. He thought about going to supper that night and listening to L tell wonderful stories about one of his most famous cases. He remembered worshipping L whenever he was around. Where he was, Mello was never far behind. Mello then remembered that Near was also present at the dinner table and was also admiring L. Mello, the child, shot a menacing glare at his rival, but Near simply shrugged and continued to listen to the story. After supper had ended, the children were all sent to bed. Mello also recalled he shared a room with Near; this made him cringe. Upon entering the bedroom, Mello remember stepping on something of a strange texture. When he switched the lights on, to his amazement, he found the ten thousand piece puzzle completed on his bedroom floor. The picture itself was that of the Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, the famous picture depicting God and Man so within reach of each other, but alas, they're fingers, frozen within the painting, will never touch. Mello was amused and amazed by the beauty of the picture, but was totally astounded at the short amount of time Near was able to construct and complete such a large task. Another sinful thought crossed his mind, but ruining the puzzle now would lead to definite consequences. He carefully stepped across the room, but noticed that a puzzle piece was missing! The empty space was supposed to be the tip of Adam's finger, but it was nowhere to be found. This brought a smile to young Mello's face. If Near was dying to find that last piece, that meant he must be frustrated, meaning that Mello was quite satisfied.

Presently, Mello snickered. He then continued reminiscing...He remembered waking up the next morning to find Near searching under his bed and rummaging through his toy chest. He could hear the boy think aloud the places where the last piece could be hiding. Young Mello loved to watch Near in distress; it made him smile. After eating a light breakfast, Mello returned outside where he found his old chocolate bar on the ground. It had been conquered by a civilization of ants, but a majority of it had been melted into a puddle by the sun. He effortlessly kicked the chocolate bar, hoping to stir the ants up into a commotion. However, Mello found beneath the chocolate bar a soiled puzzle piece. Though it had been stained by what appeared to be earth and chocolate, the image of whatever it was was still distinguishable. Immediately, Mello hid the piece in his pocket and chuckled fiendishly. The rest of his day consisted of observing Near as he traveled around the orphanage in search of the last puzzle piece. He then recalled some years later that Near had given up his search altogether. The puzzle had been packed away, but a picture of it remained hung in their room. Occasionally, Mello would find himself gazing at it, his eyes always focusing on the spot where the missing piece was supposed to be. This always made him laugh inwardly.

Then Mello blinked. "Enough of these meaningless thoughts..." He cursed and strode into his bedroom which rivaled the mess out in the living room.

It then occurred to himself that when he had found the puzzle piece, he had kept it. But where? Instantly, Mello whirled around and face an old armoir. This ancient object was filled with forgotten memories; it had not been open in many a year. Mello then remembered that when he had discovered the missing piece, he had stored it away in a small chest. Filled with obsession, Mello tore through the armoir searching for a tiny red velvet chest that contained one of his most precious treasures. Finally, after throwing aside old drawings and trinkets, he came upon the chest at the very bottom of the pile. Hastily he snapped the lock upon, held his breath and beheld the puzzle piece. It had remained unchanged since the day he had found it. Mello grinned.

He held the piece within his hand and a surge of thoughts flooded his mind. Memories of days gone by! A woeful childhood chosen to be forgotten! The massacre and execution of Kira by his God of Death, Ryuk. Horrific images of the unworldly and immortal...the faces of the Death Gods...twisted and grisly. The image of the Death Note, a symbol of corruption, power and temptation. Mello's eyes dropped. The last days and finally the end of his beloved L. The face of his master remained in his head until it was replaced by the person he hated most. Before him stood stood a white haired apparition. Mello's eyes widened.

Near... The name echoed around the room.

Near... The apparition whispered. A crooked smile crossed its face.

Mello shook his head and ran to the cracked mirror above his vanity. The face of Near materialized in the looking glass; his coal black eyes emotionless, his mouth grinning like a Cheshire cat's.

Mello...I am Near... Suddenly the ghost reached beyond the mirror and began to pull Mello into his world.

"No!!" The blond shrieked as he shook the icy, imaginary hand from his shoulder. "Let go!"

Mello...I am Near... The apparition locked his left hand onto Mello's other shoulder.

A warped aura pulsed within Mello's fist and reverberated throughout the room. The furniture in the room shook violently and the light bulbs shattered instantaneously. He slowly uncurled his fingers, his eyes focusing on the puzzle piece in his palm. It was glowing a hazy purple just before it exploded into a blinding shade of red. Another wave rocked the room and Mello landed hard upon his back.

"The puzzle piece!" Mello gasped.

Before he could cast it away, a chilling presence hovered over him. Mello lay there paralyzed, his eyes wide with terror and beads of sweat materializing on his forehead. It was Near...his face barely a few inches away from the blond's. The apparition clasped Mello's hand and closed over the puzzle piece. His touch was like the breath of winter; it made Mello shiver. Near's other hand wrapped around the back of the older boys neck, their eyes locking.

I am Near...you.The ghost smiled sweetly before placing a tender kiss on Mello's lips. It was icy, yet warm and passionate, but it lasted merely a matter of seconds before Mello rose up quickly, dissipating the ghost as he did so. Hastily, he cast the puzzle piece from him and it landed lifelessly on the other side of the room. Mello's breathing was ragged, sweat was dripping down his face and his entire body was shaking uncontrollably. His eyes fell towards the piece. It just lay there. It was as if the entire episode was a dream, merely a horrific figment of his imagination.

Reluctantly, Mello stood to face himself in the mirror. He was a mess. He ran his fingers through his hair several times, occasionally eyeing the puzzle piece from time to time. He half expected it to rear up and attack him, or possibly to hear the voice of Near. But no, it was all in his head. It had to be. After calming himself down, Mello plucked the puzzle piece from its place and stared at it. It looks utterly harmless.

"I must've had too much to drink." He said to himself. Another wave of shivers passed over him. The very thought of Near and he ever doing such a thing...was simply repulsive.

After many an idea crossed his mind, Mello decided to confront Near about the puzzle piece. He certainly would not mention his disturbing episode, but he would have to confess to stealing it from him so long ago. Mello tucked his six shooter into its holster, pulled on his favorite leather jacket and headed for the door. He then paused momentarily, and thought about his feelings for Near. The tense emotions of jealousy and hate no longer burned within him, but a gentler feeling had replaced it. Perplexed by these mixed emotions, Mello refused to believe that anything good could come from his arch rival, moreover the possibility that he himself, the great Mello could actually care about someone like Near. He forced himself to shrug off these feeling as he exited his apartment and stepped into the light of day.

You see, dear watcher, that Mello has developed a new inner struggle. Considering that the Shinigami up here are some of the most boring specimens to observe, I find Mello extremely amusing. I peer now within his heart and watch its strings decipher the barrier between love and hate. What scared Mello most at that moment, was when Near had kissed him. That, watcher, is not specifically what troubled him. It was not the fact that he was disgusted nor repulsed, but that he had enjoyed it. The presence of Near, despite the imagination of it all, was all too real for the boy. However, when one is so terrified, it is extremely difficult to judge what is reality and what is fantasy. And this, watcher, was certainly a fantasy to the highest degree. Now, see him there! Mello makes his way to Near's mansion! His heart beats ever faster, like a war drum. His cheeks are flushed with blood tinged with hatred, embarrassment and a new feeling called love. Never before have I seen him react this way...and I find it most amusing indeed.

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