Next To You Chapter 10: Shadows of the Past, a death note fanfic

(Phew. This chapter has been a long time coming. Sorry about that. Really I am. -ducks flying objects- Man. –wipes brow- Anyways. On with the show!)

I no own Death Note. We know what it'd be like if I did.

Ch. 10: Shadows of the Past

Mello blinked away the sleep that blurred his vision. He was still a bit tired, but no matter how long he lay there, he couldn't fall back to sleep; and he was so sore from last nights ministrations that every movement he made sent a throbbing sensation through him. It was a losing battle. Painfully, Mello pulled himself up into a sitting position, a job in itself, careful not to wake the slumbering red head next to him. As he leant back against the headboard, he caught a glimpse of the digital clock sitting on the bedside dresser. The neon blue dashes created the numbers: 4:45am. The blonde narrowed his eyes at the offensive device as it told him he had only gotten a half hours' worth of sleep. But his glare was soon replaced by a sheepish smile.

He ran a hand through his shoulder length blonde hair; now an unruly mess. Matt had been good, he had to admit. Better than all those others and that was saying something. But Mello knew it had to be because of the fact that he loved the hacker. He loved him more than anything. The mere thought brought an unfamiliar flush into the blonde's cheeks and he reluctantly slid out of bed, now fully aware of the cold November weather seeping through the window onto his naked body. Despite the chill, the blonde looked over his shoulder at his friend and new lover.

"I kn[;'/w this is gonna sound cliché." His voice was low; almost a whisper and it hurt when he spoke; his vocal cords having been stretched to their limits only less than an hour ago. He turned and brushed his left hand tentatively against the hacker's cheek, petting the soft burgundy mop that framed his features so perfectly. "But Light's still out there. I have to make sure he's out of our lives for good."

The only answer he received was a slight movement of the gamer's lips as a contented sigh escaped him. Mello pulled away, not wanting to wake him; his hand lingering for a moment over his lover; the guy who had been there from the beginning, never leaving his side no matter what sort of storm came along. Mello could kick himself for being so blind, so oblivious to Matt's feelings all these years. If Light ever did anything to him, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. It would most likely end in some tragic way, like all those romantic deaths you hear about in the movies and Shakespeare.

Cautiously, the blonde leant in and placed a chaste kiss on Matt's lips.

"I'll be back before you know it." He whispered before finally turning away in search of his clothes.

A light was on in the living room. Mello stopped short as he shut the door to Matt's room and sidled up against the hallway wall, straining to hear anything. He could see the shadows of two people sitting and conversing in the room ahead; could even hear the faint murmur of their voices. It was obvious that one of the voices belonged to Yuna, but it took him a bit longer to place the stranger's. It had been so long since he had heard that calm and collected tone; like that of a father's. L.

"I am sorry I made you wait Yuna." L was saying. "But there were a few unforeseen occurrences that I had to attend to before I could catch a plane."

"Stop apologizing." Yuna answered lightheartedly. "What matters is that you're here now. I just hope you can help."

Careful not to give himself away, Mello crouched low, knowing that it was impossible to sneak past the erudite detective. The man he idolized for his superior intellect and strong pragmatist prowess. For now, he could only make himself comfortable against the wall, listening, hoping for the couple to end their conversation before finally heading off to bed. Besides, what was L doing here in the first place? What was so important that he had to come all the way from England during one of his investigations?

There was a sigh that passed unheard from the elder detective's lips. "I've warned Mello of the risks of allowing his emotions to control his life." The blonde heard the detective continue; his head snapping back at the mention of his alias. Was this whole get-together about him?

Yuna looked at L. "L. I'm worried that Light is gonna try something. Mello finally stood up to him, and I'm proud of him for that, but--" She trailed off, not wanting to really talk about it again.

For a moment the atmosphere fell into silence as L took a sugar cube out of a bowl on the table and pushed it into his mouth, sucking on it until it melted away.

"But you are afraid that it's not enough." L finished. "From what I have heard of Yagami Light, I know that he probably will not allow Mello's err…freedom…to continue. You did say that even one of Mello's teachers had been manipulated into facilitating Light's plans."

"But how do we make sure that Light leaves Mello alone? That's what I want. The last thing I want to do is find my brother laying dead in a ditch or something." She wanted to cry at the thought.

"The outcome of Yagami Light's actions is more like flipping a coin." said the detective thoughtfully. "A fifty percent chance both sides. I'll do what I can though." A short pause. "I know this might sound irrelevant but--has Mello ever told you about Chase?"

The sudden mention of the name Chase, struck a sour chord in the blonde as it hung in the air like a disease. Mello had left that name in the past. It was a monster he chose to keep locked in the deepest darkest corner of his closet. He never wanted to hear that name again, and yet—there it was.

"Chase?" The brunette tilted her head. "Who's Chase?"

"If you call me a girl one more time I'm gonna make you regret it fuckers!"

It was nearing the end of December and Mello had just turned thirteen. A group of boys at Wammy's were, once again, giving the blonde a hard time about his feminine looks and had gotten Mello's temper fired up again.

"And whatcha' gonna do about it, Melon? Tell your boyfriend?" One of the boys jeered.

Mello growled and clenched his fists. "First of all, Matt is not my boyfriend! And second: It's Mello, you bitch! M-E-L-L-O! A melon is a fruit, dumbass!"

"That really doesn't help your case, pussy." The boy answered. The others laughed and Mello lunged.

"Hey. No fighting. You know it isn't allowed--unless ya like getting detention." The new arrival was Chase. He was sixteen and had a standing reputation among the underclassmen. He wasn't really a bully, but there wasn't one among the orphans that was brave enough to stand up to him. Mello wasn't scared of him though. The blonde just refused to socialize with anyone who flaunted their power like a spoiled brat with a death wish.

Mello glared up at the intruder who was blocking his path to the other boys.

"They started it!" Mello growled. "I was just about to teach them a lesson!"

"Yeah?" Chase turned to face him. Green eyes gleamed down at the blonde beneath a mop of tawny hair. "Well, I suggest you get a new hobby, kiddo."

"So--you can make them stop?"

"Of course. I'm older. They respect me."

"Yeah well, I'm not a charity case. Besides, who asked you for your help anyways? I can deal with a few fuck-tards."

A laugh escaped the older orphan as he sat next to Mello on the blonde's bed. "There's that attitude again." He shook his head before coming in closer. "How bout we get together? Stop the whole name-calling once and for all."

Mello wasn't stupid. He knew what "get-together" meant and he knew that the way Chase began sucking at his neck was wrong. As much as the blonde wanted to shove the older boy off, he was afraid of getting him angry; afraid that things would only get worse if he didn't give into the upperclassman. And before he had realized it, Chase had laid him out on the bed, and began kissing him and touching him and Mello couldn't do anything but give in.

"And you know what?" Chase said as he started peeling off the blonde's jeans and pulled back to gaze at him. "So what if you look like a girl. There are lots of guys who like that. They'll do anything to get in your pants."

Mello tried to sit up. "But-I'm a boy! Not a girl! It's-"

"Not right?" Chase smirked. "You're cute. But really. Trust me. Take that as a compliment and run with it, baby. And besides, after I'm done with you, you'll be hooked."

Mello pulled his legs up to his chest. How could he have let such a person turn him into what he was today?

"What do you want?"

"I-"

"Come on, you'll have to do better than that. Beg for me, baby."

"I-want you."

"-To do what-"

Mello had noticed the two intruders who had snuck into his room. They were standing by the door, watching and moving in like wolves around their prey. Chase merely continued controlling the blonde and flipped him onto his stomach.

By now, the blonde just went along with it. He was hot and needed relief and the older orphan was the only one who could relieve him of his problem. And if the other two were there for a little fun, there was nothing he could do about it. Might as well enjoy it.

He shot a catty smirk over his shoulder at the other boy. "Get on with it, hot stuff. I want you to fuck me into a coma."

"-And so, Chase told his friends and well—you get the picture." L sipped at the warm tea that Yuna had handed to him. It angered Yuna to think that people could be so cruel. Mello was only thirteen and the brunette made a silent vow to give Chase a piece of her mind—and fist—if by chance they ever met.

"Oh. We seem to have a visitor."

Mello had wandered into the living room, now standing behind the couch that L was curled up in. He nodded to L in acknowledgement, but couldn't bring himself to look at his sister.

Yuna tilted her head, as if trying to catch her brother's gaze. "Couldn't sleep?"

Mello shook his head in response and wrapped himself in his arms, but didn't make a move to sit down.

"Mello. You're sister is worried about you. I had no other choice. It's worthless to take out your anger on me."

"Chase isn't my problem anymore. Neither is Light. But Light won't leave and I can't allow him to have any opening to hurt Matt." Mello couldn't restrain himself from spilling everything to L. Something about the detective; something about the way he regarded him with those inquisitive eyes, made the blonde want to spill his guts.

L merely nodded to Mello and took another sip of his tea. "And that is the reason I am here. Although," His head cocked to one side. "You say that you believe that Yagami will attempt to harm Matt?"

The blonde clenched his fists at his sides. "I know he will."

"Oh?" Again, L acknowledged him in that hypnotizing way. "And tell me. How did you come to this conclusion? Has Matt done something to him?"

Mello felt the rage flood out of him; the dam broke. "Light has been trying to get me back! He sees Matt as a threat! I know that bastard will hurt Matt for being with me!"

As if on cue, the blonde felt familiar arms envelope him from behind; the same arms that had held him, not long ago, in the safety of his room.

"That's supposed to be my problem, babe. Not yours." The red head spoke against the blonde's neck; nuzzling him reassuringly. L hadn't known of the sudden relationship that had sprung up between the two boys from Wammy's House. Even Yuna was speechless at the sudden act of affection and Mello blushed as he realized that the red head was only wearing a pair of checked boxers.

"M-att." Mello mumbled.

A smiled flickered into existence on L's face. "It's about time you both became a couple. Although, it would probably be wise to put some more clothes on in weather like this, Matt. We wouldn't want you catching a cold. Especially Mello, I'm sure."

Matt grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Er-yeah. I didn't think you'd be here L. I was just looking for Mello. I got worried when I woke up and he wasn't there."

Mello blushed and headed towards the kitchen to retrieve a chocolate bar from the freezer.

"Matt." He started when he reentered the room. "Everything else aside, I'm the only one who can end this shit between Light and me. I thought that I'd just be able to sneak out, confront him and come back without anyone noticing." He glanced at L and Yuna out of the corner of his eyes.

By this time, Yuna had stood and made her way over to her brother. "Don't turn this into an episode of General Hospital." She glared at him. "You have people who are willing to help you and you're gonna stand there and take it. Got me?"

The blonde narrowed his eyes. "I'm not trying to make it into a soap opera. I'm just telling the truth. You know how Light is."

There was a loud smack as Yuna brought her hand back and slapped the boy across the face. Since the moment Mello had started going out with Yagami Light, it had been nothing but drama, drama and more drama and she was sick of it. She thought about how, after this whole mess was over, she was going to sit back with a large bowl of popcorn and a large glass of iced green tea and watch an entire marathon of General Hospital and One Life to Live and enjoy it.

Mello ended up getting away from the group by excusing himself to go to the bathroom. He refused to stand around while everyone was talking about the whole reason he had become such a slut. He wasn't some display piece that people could criticize. And besides, like he kept saying over and over again, if Light was going to try anything, then the blonde would be the one to tell him off.

As he turned into the hallway, after relieving himself in the bathroom, Mello found himself entering Matt's room. He could see the blankets and pillows still strewn out over the side of the bed in the early morning light streaming through the window as he walked towards it. All he had to do was open it, climb down the fire escape and head in the direction of Light's apartment. It wasn't that far; only 3 blocks away. He could run it easily and be back before they even noticed. Shooting a quick glance over his shoulder, Mello put a knee up on the windowsill to steady himself as he reached between the discolored, smoke-scented curtains and flipped the latch. He then, placed his palm against the cold glass and pushed. The hinges creaked as the panel swung outwards, but it wasn't loud enough for anyone outside the bedroom to hear. So, taking a deep breath, Mello hopped up onto the ledge and out onto the escape landing where he suddenly made a dash down the stairs and onto the pavement in the direction of Light's apartment complex.

A knock on the brunette's door made Light get up from his desk, cross the living room and arrive at the door. He opened it, only to see the blonde standing and glaring up at him.

"Miss me?" Mello sneered.

Light smirked down at him, leaning against the door-frame. "Was I supposed to?"

A growl rumbled in the blonde's throat. "Don't pretend like I don't matter to you!" He said. "I know why you started going out with that Amane girl and it's obvious why our teacher suddenly got a taste for my ass! You're the root of all this shit and I'm fucking tired of it!"

"Hm-" Light's smirk widened, a dark glimmer shining in them. "Why don't you come in out of the cold and we can talk inside."

"No." Mello refused. "Whatever we have to talk about, it can be discussed out here, where there are witnesses."

The older boy rolled his eyes, perturbed by the blonde's decision to stay outside, but nonetheless allowed it. In fact, he couldn't ask for a better display of events. He sneered inwardly and stuck his head back inside his apartment.

"Would you please come out here for a moment?"

Mello raised an eyebrow. Misa?

But it wasn't Misa. In fact, the person who joined them wasn't even a girl.

Mello took a few steps back as a guy, around Light's age, walked out onto the porch and faced him. He had long black hair, only a little bit longer than Mello's and he wore fashionable rectangular glasses that gave him the look of a refined lawyer. The blonde raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Nice new toy you got." The blonde spat.

"Thanks. His name is Mikami." Light jerked his head towards Mello and the man called Mikami came around and seized the blonde; holding his arms behind his back.

"The fuck?!" Mello yelled, struggling to fight free of Mikami's sturdy grip. "You could've warned me before you set your mutt on me!"

Light chuckled, sounding like a villain out of a horror movie, as he advanced on Mello, grabbing his chin and forcing the blonde to look up at him.

"How many times have I told you to relax?" He spoke silkily. "This is the only way I can talk to you."

"Talk to me, huh." Mello growled. "I know you Light. You don't talk. You fuck! And I-"

But Light interrupted him. "Matt. Mail Jeevas, of all people."

The blonde growled at the way his ex seemed to spit out Matt's name like a bad taste.

"He's got nothing to his name. He can't take care of you like I can. I can buy you anything you want. Anything. And satisfy you." He leant down; his lips mere centimeters away from the blonde's. "That's all you want, isn't it; to have some guys' dick up your ass."

"No!" Mikami's hold on the blonde made him cry out louder than he had intended. "It's more than just sex! I need something more than that! Someone I can talk to and who understands me! Not someone who throws their money around and thinks he's doing people favors when he's not!"

"You bitch." The older man shook with anger; keeping his voice low so as not to draw anyone's attention. "Mikami. Follow me."

The other man nodded and started to shove Mello forward as Light led them around the complex and into an alley. It was a shallow backstreet and once they were halfway back, the brunette stopped and turned to face Mello again. This time, his right hand held a .45 colt handgun and he was pointing it straight at the blonde.

"Here's how it works." Light began saying as he advanced on him. He then grabbed Mello away from Mikami and threw the blonde up against the wall; gun point blank at his temple. "I don't know what that guy means to you, but if I can't have you, then neither can he."

"Let him go, or I'll kill you!"

That voice. Mello whipped his head away from Light, only to see Matt standing at the mouth of the alley.

"Matt!"

Slowly, the gamer made his way down the alley towards them, resisting the urge to take on both men keeping hold of his lover.

"Oh, it's you." Light sneered, releasing the blonde, who fell to his knees against the wall. "Don't you have a load of computer games to immerse yourself in, geek?"

Matt narrowed his eyes behind his goggles. "If you have to be mad at someone, be mad at me." He challenged. "I am his new lover, after all."

But Light didn't have any intention of answering the red head.

A sudden blast sounded and a second later Matt had fallen to his knees on the cold pavement in the early morning light, setting the alley aglow. Blood seeped through the tan vest he was wearing and stained the gamer's hands before everything went fuzzy and faded to black.