Author's Note: Hello! I finished editing chapter 2 today, so here it is! Thank you to everyone who read the story, and a special shout out to ebo2, mondayclaws, and MissehKeehl for reviewing and to Living in a fantasy for reviewing and adding this to story alerts. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have posted this so fast. This chapter is dedicated to you four!

Also, since I don't think I said it in the last note, this is all from Mello's point of view. The flashback in the last chapter and everything in this chapter. I'm not planning on changing that in any later chapters, but if I do, I'll let you all know.

Thanks again! ^_^

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Now I'm here, alone as the building around me burns and falls apart. The left side of my body caught on fire in the blast and now it smells like smoke. No, that's wrong; it smells like burning flesh. Smoke has a different scent, less potent and it burns my lungs in a different way. That and it always makes me think of…never mind that. I never expected that things would go so bad that I'd be forced to detonate the bomb.

I need help, as much as I hate to admit it. I know that all my subordinates are long gone; either dead or glad to be rid of me, I'd expect. I can't even hope that one of them will return to see if I'm still alive. There's only one person that I can call on now, Matt.

I don't have the resolve to just stay and die, despite the fact that the world would probably be better off if I did, so, as much as I hate to do it, I have to call him. The worst part is knowing that I'm breaking the promise I made to myself, that I would never bother him again. This is worse than bothering, this is begging. I'll be doing the exact same thing he did when I left. Of course, I didn't listen to him, so why should I even begin to hope that he'll listen to me? Still, my options are limited and I know I have to try.

I carefully pull my phone out of my pocket, thankful that I had it in my right pocket which didn't catch fire, and punch in his number, praying that he'll pick up. This is the only chance I'll have at this. If he doesn't answer, I know my body won't last long enough to try again. Still, if that happens, I'll at least try to leave a message, an apology for what I said last time. Dying might be easier if I had a chance to tell him how sorry I was.

Every ring of the phone feels like hours. That's good though, since it gives me a little time to decide what I'll say to him. After two rings, I hear him pick up on the other end. I'm anxious now, waiting to hear his voice.

"Hello?" I hear him say.

It takes me a moment to speak. I haven't heard his voice in years, not since I left. I've tried to remember how it sounded whenever I missed him or when times were especially hard, but actually hearing his voice is different, better. I can't help but calm down a little bit.

"Matt, it's me. I need help and you're the only one I can call." I say, my breathing shallow from inhaling smoke.

"Mello?" he asks, his voice changing slightly as he tries to decide if it's actually me. "Is it really you?" He still seems disbelieving.

"Yeah Matt. It's Mello." That's right. Stupid, dumbass Mello who lied to you and left you on the floor, only to call you for help years later.

"What-"I hear his sentence break, probably because he doesn't know what to ask first.

"Matt, I promise to answer every question you have later. I need you to come get me now…if you're willing." I add, guessing he probably hates me for everything I did to him, not that I would blame him. Actually, it might make me feel better, if I knew he handled my absence by being angry at me instead of crying or something.

It takes him a moment to speak. He's probably trying to decide if I'm worth his time. I know I'm not. I'm scum just for calling him and expecting him to care. He'll probably just say there's no way in hell he's coming to get me; not after everything I said to him. When you tell your best friend you hate them and shove them away, you can't expect them to care about you anymore.

"Where are you?" he finally asks, surprising me. Of course, Matt was always good at surprising me. He was one of the only people whose actions weren't always stupidly obvious to me.

I know that he's close enough to come get me. I've been keeping tabs on him since I left. I couldn't just let him go; I had to know that he was alright. Of course, I was always careful to keep him from knowing. I didn't want him to come looking for me. Even so, he's the reason why I suggested we set up our base in the Los Angeles area. It made it easier to watch over him.

"I'm at the abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. The one west of the city." I inhale too fast and start coughing, dropping the phone accidently. "Please hurry!" I manage to choke out.

I can hear movement on the other end.

"I'm coming." I hear him say before he hangs up. I'm able to relax a bit now, since I'm not trying to talk into the phone. I lay my head down on the ground and listen as the walls crash down around me.

My eyes sting from the smoke and I can't fight to keep them open anymore. I close them, deciding that unconsciousness might be a welcome option at this point. At least it would be a break from the pain. All I can see behind the darkness of my eyelids is Matt. He looks the same as he did when I left. The picture of his face and knowing that he's coming makes me smile.

I can't even feel the left side of my face, which probably means the burns are third degree. I'm not even really thinking anymore, no, that's a lie. I am thinking. I can't help but think about Matt. Why is he bothering to come? After everything I said to him the last time we were together, how can he forgive me for that? My head hurts, just thinking about it.

Death might not be so bad; anything would be better than this. I quickly say a prayer, asking that I live long enough to see Matt again. After every terrible thing I've done, I doubt that God is listening, but still, praying can't hurt. If I do die before he gets here, maybe that short prayer will redeem me a little; I'll be forgiven somewhat and won't end up in the center of hell.

"Keep Matt safe for me, if I die and can't be here to do it." I whisper, my mind drifting.

Slowly, I slip out of consciousness…

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Ah, I have a request of all of you reading this. When you review, please tell me if you think Matt and Mello's relationship should stay purely friendship, or if it should go the way of shonen-ai or yaoi. I want your opinions on this! Thank you!