Dream of Mirror
Chapter 4
Glace and the ice castle
Ice-Puppet
Author notes: Ah, chapter four! So sorry this took so long... I wanted to get well ahead so that you wouldn't have to wait for chapter 5... though I haven't even finished it yet. Twelve days between updates, yikes! I like to keep it down to a week, but this story is fighting to be written!
I know I keep promising things will be explained- and they do! But not in this chapter... still, I hope you enjoy it! NEXT CHAPTER, FOR A FACT. I know because I've written it already ;D
--
After another day and a half of walking (and half a day of resting) they finally managed to reach the castle- and by castle, Aireio had apparently meant giant ice palace. Everything that they could see was made out of ice and covered in snow, but perhaps the oddest thing was that the inside was as warm as it would be sitting next to a huge fire.
Magic, or something.
As soon as they'd stepped up to the door they'd been rushed inside. A young boy, Sylph (as they could tell by the fact that he wasfloating), with long sleeves and a stuffed doll under one armed, met them at the door. He mumbled about cold weather and long journeys before he gave them warm smile and dragged them along to a dining area, sitting them both down in front of bowls of what looked like warm vegetable soup.
It tasted more like mint.
"You two must be worn," the young man said, sitting down beside Near. "Was your journey a hard one? It is quite a hard venture to this castle, I must say. I will make you up some rooms."
"We've had worse," Mello mused (thinking instantly of the fight with Kira) as he sipped at the soup. While he wasn't quite the fan of mint each spoonful seemed to warm his body up a few degrees.
"Oh I'm certain you must have," the boy laughed, before asking, "What brings the White and Dark ones here, hm?"
"We've come to see Glace," Near explained, drinking his soup little sips at a time. "The winter Shaman… Aireio told me he can teach me winter magic."
"Ah, yes, I can do that!" The boy giggled, ignoring Mello's gaping face. "I built this castle myself using my magic, teaching you shouldn't be a big deal!"
"Youare Glace?" Mello breathed in disbelief.
"Andyou are Mihael Keehl," Glace giggled, reaching forward and poking Mello's nose. He ignored the off look that Near sent his way as he turned to the albino. "And you are Nate River. But I hear you prefer to go by Mello and Near, right? Weird names, by the way. But you're not from this world, maybe where you come from they're not so weird."
"How do you know that?" Mello questioned, nervously.
"I'm not reading your mind," Glace informed. "I'm just well connected. Well, that, and the fact that Kamariya contacted me using one of the mirrors about an hour ago. She told me you were coming."
"You're a mirror king," Near stated, obviously catching on.
"Yep!" Glace chirped. "I'm also the master of Winter Shamans, younger brother of Fuoco, and avid stuffed animal collector."
"I hate him already," Mello mumbled, thinking how alike Glace and Near were (although the only thing they appeared to have in common was a love of toys and as far as he knew Near didn't own any stuffed animals).
Pouting, Glace sent Mello a mock glare as he yelped, "Well I don't like you much either Mr. Moody pants!"
"You act like you're four," Mello hissed.
"At least I don't look my age!" Glace retorted.
Sighing, Near pushed his bowl away, stopping the fight before it started.
"You don't like my soup?" Glace questioned, sounding hurt. "I made it just for you- it'll warm you right up!"
"I'm warm enough," Near informed. "And I'm not hungry."
"Are you sure?" The Mirror King inquired, twisting around in the air and looking Near over. "You look thinner then a light post! How much do you weigh?"
"Not enough," came the deadpanned response. "If you don't mind, I'd really like some rest. Could you show me to one of those rooms?"
"Ah, yes!" Forgetting the previous topic, Glace clapped his hands together before motioning for Near to follow him. "I'm assuming two rooms as Kamariya told me you two have quite a dislike of each other?"
"Kamariya needs to learn to keep her mouth shut," Mello huffed.
"Maybe you need to learn to keep your mouth open!" Glace giggled. "Now- those rooms? Far apart, yes? As far apart as possible? Or maybe next to each other?"
"It doesn't matter so long as it has a bed," Near cut in.
"Okay, okay," Glace mused, waving a hand. "It get it."
A few moments later he was leading Near off to a room while Mello finished his dinner. The room he left him in was large and if Near hadn't seen the outside of the castle he would never have believed it was made of ice. The blankets and sheets in the bed were the softest thing he could ever remember feeling and as he slipped between them he drifted right off to sleep without a problem.
Glace returned to Mello, then, smiling warmly. "Your friend is all settled in," he informed, taking the seat Near had been in.
"He's not my friend," Mello defended instantly.
"Oh?" Glace questioned, dropping his chin into his hand and leaning against the table. "Well then… what is he?"
"My rival," came the answer.
"Why's that?"
"None of your business." Looking the young man up and down, Mello sneered, "You ask a lot of questions."
Smiling warmly, Glace responded with, "You don't give a lot of answers."
Rolling his eyes at the young man's antics (which were quickly getting on his nerves), Mello asked, "Want to show me to my room or are we going to play twenty questions all night long?"
"Oh, I suppose I could take you there," Glace mused, getting up. "But twenty questions would be very fun to play."
"I hate games," Mello informed coldly.
"You hate Near too," Glace mused with a strangely gentle smile. "But you've certainly come far without killing him."
As the Mirror King led him back to his room in silence, Mello wondered when he had ever mentioned that he 'hated' Near.
Stupid Kamariya.
--
The next morning, Mello awoke to the side of his room exploding in a large burst of snow and ice. While scrambling away from the disaster he heard an annoyingly amused Near yell out, "Woops, my bad." Glace laughed somewhere nearby and the destroyed wall reformed perfectly, as if it had never been touched.
Falling back asleep now impossible, Mello pulled himself out of bed and wandered around the ice castle until he found the exit into the court yard, where Near stood with Glace.
"You have horrible aim," Glace informed as Mello approached.
"It's hard to control," Near replied. He was standing, one hand against his chest, the other above his head- the pose would probably be a stupid one if snow wasn't swirling around him like something out of a movie. And Mello- who had never really believed in magic, despite all of the things he had seen so far- watched in awe as the snow twisted up above him, swirled around, and zoomed off toward a nearby statue. Much like the wall to his room had been destroyed, where the statue once stood there was now broken ice.
The nearby target stood untouched.
"Nice," Mello snorted, rolling his eyes. Glace giggled in response. A wave of the mirror king's hand and the statue rebuilt itself.
"At least you didn't take out another room this time?" He offered to Near, who appeared almost frustrated.
"Is that an easy spell and you're having trouble getting it down?" Mello questioned, hoping that something powerful enough to take out the side of a building wasn't an 'easy' spell.
"He's got the basics down," Glace informed, shifting the doll (a different one from the day before) under his arm to a different position. "This spell isn't the most powerful but it's definitely not 'easy'. His aim is horrid, however."
"How many times have you tried it?" Mello asked.
"Seven," Near informed, looking a bit worn.
"And how many times have you hit the target?"
A small glare from the younger man. "Zero."
Mello couldn't help but laugh. "Oh come on, it can't be thathard."
"I'dlove to see you try," Near sneered, obviously irritated. An odd look on him.
"I can't do hocus pocus," Mello reminded. "I'm not a Slylph or whatever it is."
"Sylph," Glace corrected.
"Whatever," he responded. "I can't do magic or whatever."
"Humans can do magic," Glace giggled. "And you'll have to learn magic too, being the dark one and all."
"What?" Mello questioned. Near perked up a bit in interest, too.
Glace gave both of them a shocked look, before letting out a groan and dropping his head into his hands. "Kamariya didn't tell you!?"
"Didn't tell us what?" Near asked, moving to sit down (on the ground, which was devoid of snow). Magic must take a lot out of him, he was looking worse for the wear.
"That stupid witch!" Glace sighed, shaking his head.
Mello glanced to Near, who returned the look. They were both getting tired of things being kept from them.
"We ten mirror kings," Glace began to explain, taking a seat as well (or rather, floating in mid-air). "Each are chosen by the previous mirror king. Each of us are the master of one element- not seasons, like shamans, but elements. For example, I master ice-" He motioned to his castle. "Kamariya is a master of strength, Quarrel masters Electricity. Now, in order to defeat Holand, we will have to pass our powers on to one of you- five with go to Near, five to Mello."
"Wait, wait, hold on-" Mello interrupted, crossing his arms. "Who is Holand?"
"Holand is the leader of the resistance," Glace informed. "She is the one that is causing the monsters to act out- she is creating an army to try and take over. She wants to move to the reality of this mirrored universe and take it over, but in order to do that she will need the powers of all ten mirror kings. The only way to receive the magic from a mirror king, however, is if that mirror king gives that power up willingly."
"So why are we here…?" Mello asked, looking toward Near once more. "Can't you all stop her, or something?"
"Well…" Glace hummed, tilting his head. "Holand is able to control the monsters of this world. She may be able to convince one of us to give us her powers by kidnapping someone we care about and threatening them, or threatening an entire town- something along those lines. We are all hiding and not giving our positions away to each other- save for one person. For example, I know where one of my fellow kings is hidden, and he knows where the next is, then the next will know where the next is- so on from there. If we give our powers to you, Holand will not be able to take them if you two stick together."
"More crap about soul mates," Mello muttered. Glace ignored him.
"Holand will try anything in her power to separate you too," he informed with a very serious look on his face. "If she manages to pull you two apart, she can take your abilities from you. You have to make sure you stay together!"
Giving and annoyed noise, Mello hissed, "I still don't see why you ten don't just go in together and kill her. Ten of you would be better then two of us, right?"
"Actually," Near hummed, glancing up at Mello once more. "If you have five abilities and I have five, we would learn how to use all of those ten abilities together, instead of five separate people attempting to fight one person. Quantity is not necessarily better then quality."
Understanding more then he would let on, Mello went to sit on a nearby bench before inquiring, "What abilities do I get?"
"I wish I could tell you," Glace informed with a frown. "But I haven't kept in touch with anyone, save for Kamariya. The only thing I know is that my abilities will go to Near."
"What different abilities are there?" Near asked, moving to stand again.
Humming, Glace thought for a moment, before answering. "Ice, which is mine. Fire, that belongs to my brother, Fuoco. Strength, which is Kamariya. Electricity, belonging to Quarrel. Kayen owns Day, Arret owns Night. Kenji has Earth, Seishi has water… Red has speed and LiSen's got wind."
"Day and Night?" Mello mused. "Those are 'elements'? What kind of magic can you use for 'day' and 'night'…?"
"What kind of notebook kills someone when their name is written in it?" Near retorted.
"Point taken," Mello sneered.
"Shall we take a break?" Glace questioned Near.
"I would rather not," Near informed. "I will never get this down if I don't practice."
Smiling, Glace switched to a standing position. "Why don't you practiced your aim while I go get you two something to eat?" Without waiting for an answer, he headed back inside.
Mello watched as Near switched back into the same position from before- snow and ice appearing around him, twisting around and building up. It shot out after a few moments, heading toward the target but missing it by five feet or so.
Watching the younger man give a frustrated glare and drop back to the ground, Mello asked, "Is it really that difficult?"
"Casting it is in the mind," Near informed, using the back of his sleeve covered hand to push some hair from his eyes. "Mello should have an easy time with it-" He ignored the somewhat dumbstruck look the blonde wore with those words. "But aiming isn't easy. My eyesight is better then it was back in my 'reality', but I'm not so sure it's all about how well I can see. It's not like I'm throwing it, like I did with that small ball of magic Aireio taught me to make… I'm technically throwing a storm at a target…"
"Are you sure you're Near?" Mello questioned, ignoring the confused look he received. "The Near I knew acted like emotions were a weakness, like using them was a bad thing. But you… act different."
"People change," Near informed, turning his face away. He pulled himself to stand again, moving back into position.
"So you used to be like him?" Mello asked.
"I used to be like that," Near corrected.
"What changed?" An honest question, not asked in anger or anything other then curiosity.
Near glanced at him for a few moments before he answered, "People change," once again.
"People don't just change," Mello hummed. "Things change them."
"Do my reasons matter that much?"
A glare from the blonde. "Yes."
A sigh. "I'll tell you later," Near said for perhaps the fourth time since they had met in this strange world.
"Do you ever plan on telling me?" Mello huffed.
After building up magic, aiming, and finally hitting the target (which burst into shards of ice much like glace), Near informed, "Yes."
"Ah, I see you hit your target!" Glace squealed as he approached, two plates in hand- he dropped one into Mello's lap, taking the other over to Near. The food- whatever it was- looked like a big pile of marshmallows covered in ranch dressing.
It tasted more like sushi.
"After you eat, we'll take a break. Then, we work on the harder stuff!" Smiling brightly for a few moments, Glace then turned to Mello, informing, "And you- you will be training, as well."
"I thought I didn't get to learn your 'magic'," Mello hummed dryly.
Giggling, Glace shook his head. "You don't- but you'll need to learn how to fight with those blades Aireio gave you."
"I can fight just fine with- wait," Mello paused, giving Glace a confused look. "How did you know about those?"
The young man gave an amused roll of his eyes before he motioned to Mello's waist. "I can see them, under your coat. I've known Aireio and LiSen long enough to recognize those in a heartbeat."
Mello spared a glance to Near, who eyed the plate before him with a hint of disgust. "I can fight just fine," he said again, turning back to Glace. It was, in fact, the truth- he had hung around with the mafia long enough to know how to fight with knives.
"Still," the mirror king hummed. "It's best to be prepared!"
Before Mello could argue, Glace was turning back to Near. With a wave of his hand, the target that Near had smashed reformed. The winter shaman giggled and looked toward the albino, explaining, "Once I give you my abilities, you will be able to do that."
(Mello swore he detected a hint of sadness in Glace's voice, but he pushed it aside.)
"Shouldn't you be giving him your powers so you can teach him how to use them?" Mello asked, realizing a few seconds later how screwed up that was. It was almost like he was getting used to being in this place, used to all the 'magic' and 'hocus pocus'.
But that couldn't be happening. No way. This was all a stupid, retarded, realistic dream- he would be waking up any time soon, Matt standing over him, pissed off. A dream- this was a dream.
He was starting to believe that a little bit less every passing moment.
Laughing, Glace lifted a finger from below his long sleeves and shook it back and forth, much the way Roger used to do when he was scolding Mello for stealing Chocolate.
"He needs to learn to control magic before I give him something so powerful," Glace explained. "If I just gave him really powerful magic and threw him out the door he would probably end up blowing himself up."
"We can't die," Mello informed.
"But you can feel pain," Glace mused, putting his hands on his hips. "Alright, break time. Feel free to roam around, I'll come get the two of you in about an hour."
Before either could say anything, Glace was leaving them once more. A moment of silence stretched between them before Near stood up, placing the plate on a nearby bench. He turned to leave without a word.
Mello called out to stop him, however, "You didn't even touch your plate." Concern? No. Curiosity.
"I'm not hungry," Near responded, stopping in mid-step. He didn't turn, however.
"Yeah, right," Mello muttered, rolling his eyes- annoyance. Not concern. Never concern, not for Near- "You barely ate anything on the way here, in fact you've barely eaten anything at all. I really doubt it's because you're 'not hungry'. What the fuck is going on?"
A glance over his shoulder, but not enough of one to read his face. "I don't feel well," Near stated, deadpanned. Mello was unsure if he was being honest or just trying to get his companion off his back- either way, Mello gave an annoyed groan, but didn't bother to continue with his questioning.
After finishing off his food, Mello decided to explore the giant castle. He wandered around for a while, looking over all of the ice statues and structures- he could tell Glace had spent a lot of time on this place and had to wonder… after Glace gave Near his 'magic', would he lose it forever? Would Near be unable to give it back? Would this castle disappear?
What would happen to Glace and all of the other mirror kings?
Almost an hour after he'd started his search, Mello smacked into Near when going around a corner. While Mello managed to keep his footing, Near ended up landing on his bum.
"Watch where you're going!" Mello snapped, not offering and help to his companion.
"Sorry," Near offered in a somewhat tired voice, pulling himself to his feet. He must have missed the look Mello gave him, because he didn't comment. Near looked like he hadn't slept in a week, tired enough he could probably put L to shame.
"What the hell is up with you?" Mello asked, looking Near up and down. Then, before Near could give him another 'none of your business' or 'I'm fine', Mello gave a roll of his eyes and cut him off with, "You know what? Never mind. I don't care." Near spared him a glance, probably meant to be cold but he just looked incredibly worn.
"Oh good!" Glace chirped, approaching the two of them with a smile. "You two are together! I don't have to search all over for you!" Neither gave him any comment so he motioned for them to follow. Without a word, both moved to do so. They headed down a hallway, the way Mello had come from. After a few moments of walking (or floating), they stopped at a door.
"Wait in here for me please, Mello," Glace asked, opening the door and motioning inside. Giving a huff if indifference, Mello slipped inside, watching as Glace whispered something to Near and lead him off somewhere.
The Mirror king returned after a few moments, carrying a large stuffed doll under his arm. When Mello sent him an odd look he explained, "Well, you'll need something to fight against- and my magic would be too much for a beginner."
"I'm not a beginner," Mello huffed. "And I'm going to be fighting astuffed toy?"
As if to explain, Glace released the toy- it twisted around, hanging like there were strings attached to it.
Not very threatening with it's cute and fuzzy smiling face.
"Pull out your weapons," Glace instructed.
"I don't take orders," Mello informed, crossing his arms.
A few seconds later he hit the floor, rolling backward and slamming into a nearby wall. The stuffed toy moved away from where it had smashed into him, returning back to Glace.
Cute, fuzzy, and apparently filled with bricks.
"Pull out your weapons," Glace said again.
Mello complied without a fight.
--
Glace had been impressed by Mello's ability to fight- well, at least he had been at first. After complimenting the blonde, Glace had then worked him twice as hard. By the time the sun was going down Mello was dragging himself to his room, ready to pass out. He realized, however, after laying on the bed for a good ten minuets that he was covered in sweat and probably smelled horrible.
With a frustrated groan, Mello dragged his body to stand. He moved to the doorway after realizing the bathroom connected to his room had no bath in it. Surprisingly (or maybe not so much, in this world), Glace was standing by his door as he pulled it open.
"I was just going to tell you, you should take a bath!" The Sylph chirped, showing him a pile of clothing. "These are for you to wear while your things are being washed. You can keep them if you like, but I doubt you will. Your sense of fashion seems to be… quite different from my own." Humming, Glace then gave a cheerful smile. "I will take you to the bathing room! Follow me!"
Annoyed with how cheerful Glace always appeared (and reminded of Linda, a girl he knew back at Wammy), Mello followed the young man down the hallway and through a doorway.
The bath was similar to the style of a Japanese bathhouse, or at least what Mello had read about them. The water was steaming lightly and looked fairly clear- it looked nice enough, except for the fact that Near was in it.
"No," Mello said firmly to Glace, glaring at the confused man. "I am notbathing with Near!"
"Is it odd in your world to bathe with another?" Glace questioned, glancing toward Near (who had ducked down mostly under the water and behind a rock).
"It's odd in our world to bathe with someone we dislike," Mello informed.
"I see…" Glace hummed, glancing toward Near. "Well, this is the only bath- if you want to wait for him to finish, I suppose you can. But it's silly, I think, to refuse a bath just because Near is here."
"If I wanted your opinion," Mello sneered, grabbing the clothes from Glace's hands. "I would give it to you." Glace merely gave another smile and left without a word.
Mello tried his best to ignore Near, but he couldn't help but glare at the albino as he slipped out of his (disgustingly dirty) clothes. Near, wisely, avoided looking toward him. He kept his eyes elsewhere until Mello had slipped into the water (after showering off- similar to a Japanese bath house, as well).
After he was submerged, Mello informed Near, "You can stop hiding, now." After a few moments of silence, Near came out from behind one of the rocks, but he stayed far from Mello. He appeared… almost nervous, though if Mello hadn't known Near's facial expressions well enough he wouldn't have seen it.
"Oh get over it," Mello huffed, annoyed by how put off Near was acting. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." The memory in question was one he treasured- not the fact that he had seen Near naked, mind you, but instead the events that had surrounded it.
It had been one of the few times he and Near had spent time with L, just the three of them, outside of the orphanage. L had brought them to a pool during a particularly hot day in summer. Mello had been 7, Near 5. Near had struggled with taking his shoes off and L had gone to help him, only to end up helping the younger boy undress himself completely, then slip into a bathing suit. Mello had been jealous, at the time, but now he thought that L was just babying Near. He'd spent lots of time hanging out with L, that day- it had been great up until the point where he'd pushed Near in the pool and the albino had hit his head on the side… a trip to the hospital had followed that.
"I was five," Near responded, obviously having the same memory as Mello. "And Matt almost killed me that day."
"Matt?" Mello breathed. Matt hadn't gone with them!
"He shoved me into the pool," Near explained. "I think you told him too, though."
"Matt wasn't there," Mello huffed.
"That's right…" Near breathed, curling a lock of his hair around his index finger. "You hate him in your reality. I can't get over that… it's just too weird."
"The idea of him being my friend is weird," Mello hummed. "I mean, he's loyal, trustworthy… all that, but he just gets on my nerves so much. He follows me around like a kicked dog and it drives me nuts."
"At least you have someone," Near stated, catching Mello off guard.
"Is that an admission of loneliness I hear from the great Near?" Mello gaped.
"You sound so surprised," Near hummed, sinking lower into the water, his eyes closing.
"I am." Mello's eyes narrowed into a glare.
"Why?"
"You always liked being alone."
Near poked one eye open, staring at Mello through clouded eyes. (Mello realized then that Near's contacts were not in, meaning his vision was currently poor and his eyes sensitive to the light. As an albino, Near was born with very horrible vision and light sensitivity- he wore darkened contacts to fix his vision and to protect his eyes from the light.)
"I've never liked being alone," he informed.
"You always told the other orphans to leave you alone!" Mello snapped.
Letting out a soft hum, Near agreed, "I did, yes. But I also relied on Roger and the rest of the staff to feed me and keep me warm- when I moved away I had to surround myself with people because I couldn't take care of myself. When the Kira case was over the SPK was broken up and I was left on my own… I guess I became lonely after a while."
It sounded weird, coming from Near's mouth. Like he had finally gotten over being a child and grown up- Mello was tempted to ask if he still collected toys or not, but decided against it.
They fell into a somewhat comfortable silence, relaxed and warm. Mello had to force himself not to fall asleep, laying there with his eyes closed- he decided he'd had enough when he heard Near exit the water and approach one of the nearby benches, gathering up the robes that Glace had left him. He watched with a guilty pleasure as Near dressed- only able to see the back side of the younger man but inwardly making note of Near's somewhat cute bum.
Four years ago he would have gagged at the idea of thinking any part of Near was attractive.
Five years ago he also might have realized that Near had noticed him watching, but had chosen not to say anything.
Mello didn't leave the water until well after Near had gone. He took his time, dressing in the clothes Glace had left him (which were warm and soft, even of they were light blue), before heading back to his room.
--
Two days had passed- two long, seemingly endless, pain-filled days. And while Mello was spending his time training with Glace's seemingly endless collection of possessed brick-filled stuffed animals, he assumed Near was doing the same with the mirror king himself. Although, for all he knew, Near was stuck with stuffed demons as well while Glace sat (or floated) on his bum.
By the end of those two days, he'd grown used to the toy's patterns and had made pincushions out of them. He hoped Glace wouldn't be commenting on this because it had been the king's choice to use his collection. And while Mello had already known how to fight with a knife, he had to admit (but only to himself) that the practice was quite useful. It had been a long time since he'd fought and he had become rusty in his (not so) old age.
Thankfully, after waking up the next morning and wandering into the dining room (it had become a routine after two days), Mello found himself sitting down next to a worn and tired Near- the albino had a scratch across his left cheek, one that looked like it stung.
"Where'd that come from?" He questioned, flopping into a seat and watching quietly as Glace left the table only to return with some sort of food.
"He forgot to start floating when he cast a powerful spell," the mirror king explained with a smile, ignoring the cold look Near was sending him. "Ended up tripping and smacking his face on the ground. It looked like it hurt!"
"It did," Near mused, taking a small bite and avoiding eye contact.
"As I was just telling Near," Glace hummed, his smile appearing forced. "You two are ready to move on to the next King- meaning I will be passing my powers on to Near and then giving you two the direction to Red's place of hiding."
"You're not going to train him?" Mello questioned, motioning to Near with his spoon. "You're just giving him some new power and sending him off to get himself killed?"
While Glace should have giggled and corrected Mello, or something, instead the king just placed his own spoon down and forced another smile. "He has you with him, he won't get himself killed." He stood then and started toward the door, pausing before exiting. Turning, Glace informed, "Meet me in half an hour, I have a few things to prepare."
He exited without another word.
Mello gave Near a glance, confused not only about Glace's odd actions, but also his words. "Meet him where?" He questioned, before poking an unresponsive Near with his spoon. "What's going on? You're both acting like your cat just died or something."
"I'm tired," Near admitted, staring down at his food like he wanted to use it as a pillow, instead of eat it. "And I'd imagine Glace is unhappy because he has to give up his magic."
"Well it's not like he has to give it up forever," Mello huffed. Near gave a shrug of indifference. "Where are we meeting him?"
"Mello asks that like I read minds."
While Mello hadn't seen much of Near the last two days, the little he was seeing of him now was just as annoying as ever. "He wouldn't have left the place of meeting a mystery," he stated matter-of-factly. "Obviously you know where it is."
"I do," Near informed, pushing his plate away.
"Well, where is it?"
"I'll let Mello know when we get there."
Yes, just as annoying as ever.
After finishing off his food, Mello followed Near through winding hallways and into a large room- not that all of the rooms in this place weren't large, but this one took the icing on the cake. It was incredibly bare, save for a singe stand with what looked like a crystal ball on it, and a sadly smiling Glace, who motioned for them to come closer.
"This," he spoke, obviously addressing only Mello, as Near paid the crystal ball no mind. "Is one of the ten dimension mirrors."
"Dimension mirrors?" Mello questioned, instantly wondering if this odd item could return him back home- oh how he would love to forget this entire thing and return to the job of being L.
"No," Glace read his mind, dragging his attention back to the here and now. "It cannot return you home." He ignored the glare Mello sent his way. "Although they are called dimension mirrors, they really have nothing to do with the different dimensions. Well, except that we use them to communicate with the other mirror kings of the other realities- but that is beside the point. These mirrors are used to find out who the next mirror kings will be and also to pass on the name of mirror king. Although I'm going to be using this one to pass on my abilities to Near, you may want to pay attention, because the next king will be giving you his abilities."
Mello could have sworn he saw Near giving the item a cold glare, but before he could double check and see if it was just his imagination, Glace reached out and pulled the albino closer.
"Stand back," he ordered Mello, nodding to a wall. As the blonde moved to stand by it, Glace informed, "As far back as possible. As in, shove yourself against the wall."
"Is it really that dangerous?" Mello questioned, eyeing the ball and pushing his body up against the icy wall.
Glace forced a smile. "Nope. I just think you look funny, pressed against the wall like that."
Sparing him an annoyed glance, Mello returned to a normal standing position.
Moving to stand over the ball, the mirror king motioned for Near to approach him. He positioned the albino across from him, the stand and the crystal ball between their two bodies. Mello watched in boredom as Glace ordered Near into a kneeling position, leaving contact covered eyes level with the mirror. The king followed suit, lifting his hands and letting them hover at each side of the ball, a foot or so away from it.
"This is going to hurt," he told Near, who gave him the sort of look that said, You're telling me this now of all times? Glace forced a smile, saying, "My master did the same thing to me-" Or at least this is what Mello assumed he was going to say, because in the middle of saying 'same' his hands began to glow and the crystal ball followed suit.
Near let out a pain-filled cry (one that made even Mello cringe) as the glowing ball shot off what looked like a beam of light, hitting him right between the eyes.
It was over quickly. Near fell backward, hands raising to his face. Glace flopped over, apparently unconscious. Mello just stood there, half of him wondering if Near was passed out, the other half trying to come up with any excuse to get out of having to do the same thing when his turn came.
After a few moments had passed, Near dragged himself into a seated position, one hand still placed half across his eyes.
"That looked painful," Mello hummed sarcastically, remembering the feeling of explosives scarring half of his face and most of his back. Not a pleasant memory, and definitely one he would never forget, despite the lack of his scar in this new world. Nothing could hurt more then that, not even death.
Near offered no response, seemingly dazed. For a few moments he just sat there, staring numbly at nothing in particular- then he removed his hand from his forehead and moved over to Glace, shaking the young man's shoulder.
Glace lifted his head tiredly, dropping it back down a few seconds later. Mello decided now would be a good time to pull himself away from the wall and he approached, helping Near pull Glace into a seated position.
"H-Hurts a lot, huh?" He questioned Near weakly, forcing a smile. "Sorry about that- I figured if I surprised you, you wouldn't be tense and waiting for it. Would have made it worse, I'm sure."
Near gave an indifferent shrug, one that Mello read as, I've had worse. He sent Near an annoyed glare and sneered, "You screamed like you were being tortured."
"It was painful," Near admitted in monotone. "More so then when I broke my arm."
"You broke your arm?" Mello questioned, not remembering a broken bone at any point.
"Mello does not remember?" Near asked, sounding a bit surprised. His voice was strained, Mello realized. Was it really that painful? With a shake of his head to show he didn't, Near went on with, "It was one of the days that Roger took all of the kids into town. Matt shoved me out of the way at one point and I fell to the ground. I landed on my arm and the bone snapped."
"You're not very graceful," Glace breathed. Mello gave a small snort of amusement. "Does he hurt himself like that often?" He asked Mello. (It was quite obvious from his voice that he was ready to pass out.)
"How would I know?" Mello huffed in response. "He's dead in my world." He spared Near a glance, remembering back in Wammy- Near had been a sickly child with a horrible immune system. In and out of hospitals and doctor's offices like family visits. But Near usually stayed on the ground, so a lack of grace wasn't usually the cause.
"Glace needs to rest," Near stated before any more comments about his lack of poise could be made. "He looks ready to pass out."
"You'll need to rest too," Glace informed, not arguing with Near's observation. "I, however, will probably sleep for a week or so-" He gigged at the stare Mello gave him. "I'm kidding! But I will be out for a while, so I will give you Red's location now. That way you two can leave when Near is good and ready… he shouldn't need to rest for long."
Not sparing a glance to one another, Mello and Near both helped Glace to his feet.
"Oh come on, I can float-" Glace laughed, moving to do just that. "Alright, as to Red's location-" He paused, either to make sure they were both listening, or just for the effect. "Is a town thankfully only a few days walk from here, called Galeshade. He's hiding out in the pet store, there. You'll be looking for a boy named Todd- Red is a nickname of his, but you'll understand why when you see him."
"Galeshade?" Mello mused.
Glace's response was a yawn. He stretched out and moved into a laying position, apparently falling asleep right there.
Near spared Mello a raised eyebrow before he gave an annoyed sigh and rubbed the spot between his eyes, where the beam of light had hit him.
"Do you feel any different?" Mello asked, curiosity getting the better of him- he wanted to know how he would be feeling when his term came.
"No," Near admitted. "My head hurts and I am tired, but other then that I feel the same."
Rolling his eyes, Mello gave a some-what barked order of, "Well go get your damn rest so we can leave. If we have to get through ten of these damn things, I want to get on the road as soon as possible."
Near gave him one of those annoying ass smiles, the ones that always pissed him off. That sort of half-amused, half know it all smirk that what kind of like L's, but ten times creepier.
"Mello is going to have fun," he said in an almost teasing voice.
Then he was leaving, walking out of the room like nothing had happened. Doing that stupid Near thing- saying something that would leave him speechless and then just walking away. It was things like this, the little smiles and the damn words and the- ugh, justeverything that made every little thing about Near soannoying.
…He hadn't even explained what those words were supposed to mean!
Stupid fucking Near!
And then, as if to make matters worse, Mello realized that he had absolutely no idea how to get back to his room.
Great. Just fucking great.