Near had come back to his room a minute before curfew (and we won't talk about where he'd been hiding). Frankly, he was in panic, he was scared. He couldn't be emotional. The albino had been and was trying to forget about those painful memories. Why did they return? Why now? Why wouldn't they just disappear forever? He had to be perfect, blank, emotionless. Sighing, Near reached for his laptop and chose a file.

Mello was walking through the corridor. He couldn't sleep. The blonde had been thinking about a certain white-clad boy all day after that incident in the Common room. What's wrong with Near? This was the first time the boy had ever shown emotion. Near's broken voice, his watery eyes, everything was so strange, so new, so... Mello didn't know. He couldn't figure out. Suddenly, the blonde heard something. Music sound. He knew this song. "Mad world" by Gary Jules. The problem was...

It was coming from Near's room...

Mello's eyes widen. Near? Listening to music? It was hard to believe. Curiously, the blonde turned the knob, only to find the door wasn't locked. He peeked inside Near's room, and saw the white-haired boy sitting beside his bed, eyes closed. Near hadn't spot Mello yet.

"All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for their daily races

Going nowhere, going nowhere

The tears have filled up their glasses

No expression, no expression

Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow

No tomorrow, no tomorrow"

The albino didn't locked the door. No one had ever visit his room (except for Rodger and Mello), especially not at this time so he could do whatever he want. For now, Near felt hollow. Empty. His life was pointless. He was expected and raised to be L's successor, but he didn't want to. It didn't mean that he hate L. Near respected the detective. L was like a big brother to him. Near appreciated L for saving him, for giving him a home, but Near just wanted to be a normal boy having a normal life like other normal kids. But then, who he really was? What was his purpose of life? What was he living for? Near didn't know. After listening to the song for a moment, he started singing in small voice...

"And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles, it's a very very

Mad world

Mad world..."

Mello was stunned. Near's voice was so soft, so angelic, filled with a lot of emotions that the blonde couldn't decipher. He slid his back on the door until he sat on the floor, listening to the white-clad boy. 'What are you hiding, Near? Why can't you tell me?' Mello wondered. Finally, the song came to an end. He peeked inside again. Near had fallen asleep on the floor, curling up into a ball. The chocoholic walked silently into Near's room, turned off the laptop and tucked the younger boy up in his bed. Mello watched Near for a moment then returned to his room, unable to sleep all night.

The next morning, Near woke up only to wonder why he was in his bed, but since he didn't want to care, he shrugged it off.

After that night, Mello stared at the white-haired boy more often. The blonde kept asking himself about Near: what the albino was thinking, why the boy chose to be emotionless, how thick his facade was... Mello started watching Near ( I don't want to use the word "stalking"): his snowy white hair, his deep grey eyes, his flawless skin, the way he twirling a white lock around his finger, his soft lips... Whoa whoa, that was ENOUGH! 'What am I thinking?'. Why did the chocoholic feel something unfamiliar in his stomach when he looked at Near? And since that night, Mello would come to the small boy's room every night, watching him sleep and then left.

Despite the incident with Mello, Near still remained emotionless. And now (a few day after that night), he was stacking a castle of dice in the Common room. It was a nice day, everyone was outside so he was alone. The albino had too concentrated on his thoughts and his work, he didn't even notice a strange smell until the room became hot too much.

'What?'

Near stood up and opened the door.

He saw fire, fire everywhere.

"Nate my boy, do you want to have some funs?" The man asked the small boy, the knife was still in his hand. The boy ran into his room and locked the door. The drunken man knocked.

"Nate, can you open the door?". The four-year-old sat still in his room, tears slid on his cheeks.

"ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW, DAMMIT!" The lunatic shouted. Nate waited. He thought the man would break the door and stormed into his room, but all he got was silence. But then, he heard something.

The man was lighting a fire, Nate knew it. He felt hot and hard to breathe. Luckily, his room was on the first floor, and being a smart boy he was, Nate opened the window and climbed outside. It was raining.

The small boy ran into the rain. He didn't know where he would run to, and he didn't care. He just ran. All he could hear were thunder and the maniac laugh...

Before Near realized, he had collapsed. He couldn't move. He felt weak, pathetic. 'So, this is the end, huh?' the albino thought. 'Mama...Natalie... I'm coming... Please wait for me...' And then, he fainted away...

But not before he heard someone calling his alias.

"NEAR!"

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: I think that I have a lot of grammatical errors in this chapter. Anyway, opinions?