A/N: Really, really short chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Near could only stare. This…this couldn't be possible. The barn had burned. Lidner had said there was no possible way that Mello made it out alive. It had been months since then, months in which Near was raising Mello's son.
He couldn't be standing in front of him now.
It didn't make any sense.
Could he…could he be hallucinating? Was he that overworked? He had got at least an hour of sleep…it couldn't be because of that. He had eaten recently as well. There were some psychological diagnoses that showed up in young adult males…perhaps such a thing was happening to him?
A few years ago, he would have rolled his eyes at the thought. Especially at the thought that he would hallucinate Mello, out of everyone. But now…now after months of not hearing from the older man, of knowing that he wasn't out there…now Near felt differently. Especially since he could see Mello in Isaac every single day.
Near's arms tightened at the thought and Isaac let out a loud squeal. Instantly, whatever spell in the room was broken. Near turned his eyes toward the unhappy boy in his arms, instantly shushing him as the tears fell down his face. From the corner of his eye, Near watched as the hallucination moved forward, its arms outstretched. Near instinctively moved back, eyeing the thing warily. It stopped and the facial expression took on a familiar glare.
This wasn't fair. It was easier to remember this thing wasn't real when there was an open, somewhat hesitant expression on its face. But now, now with that look…
Near almost believed it was real.
He wanted to believe it was real.
"Near-"
"You aren't real," Near said instantly, shaking his head and holding Isaac close to his chest. "Mello died. You are not Mello."
The thing's eyebrows rose. "And what am I? A hallucination? Near, how much sleep have you been getting?"
Near frowned and bounced Isaac up and down in an effort to calm the quietly crying boy. "Mello is dead."
"I'm not," Mello said calmly. Much too calmly. Near had never seen him so calm.
So…did that make it more plausible he didn't exist?
"The mafia was hunting me," Mello finally said, a frown pulling at his face as he glanced down at Isaac. "Matt and I came up with a plan. We knew that Takada would try to kill me and I was able to catch her before she wrote my name on the piece of Death Note she had. I then told her to contact Kira and let him know that she had killed me. I didn't expect him to kill her…" Mello trailed off for a moment but shrugged his shoulders. "She lit the barn on fire and I barely managed to get out. But it fell right in with what Matt and I planned. The original plan was for me to fake my death and Matt would take Isaac until I could come back. With your help, I knew nothing would be able to touch him. But then Matt was killed," Near watched as Mello's hands tightened into fists, "and I sent that email to you. If Matt hadn't died, you would have never seen it. I didn't expect you to see it. But I knew that you would do as I asked and take care of my son. I knew you would."
Near's lips pinched. Mello knew no such thing. Near could have easily handed the boy over to Roger. Mello had no reason to think otherwise…and to know that Mello had just planned on disappearing without a word to Near. Matt would have just come to Near on his own, with Mello's child in tow.
"I had to do some cleanup," Mello continued. "And I had to stay low until it was safe for me to be out. Safe for Isaac. I trusted you to take care of my son, Near. Until I could return and-"
"And take him away," Near said, fury building in his chest at the thought. Mello had left Isaac, he had abandoned his son, and then just expected to be able to return whenever he wanted. What would happen the next time Mello's past threatened his son? Would he just hand Isaac off to the next person that came along? No. Near was not going to let that happen. "He has been doing well without Mello. Mello can leave now."
"You can't just keep my son, Near!"
"Mello is the one that left. Mello can deal with the consequences," Near snapped back, turning on his heel and walking into the bedroom, making sure to slam the door behind him.