A/N: Wow... I need to update faster. It's been twenty days. That's just pathetic.
Chapter 10: I Will Avenge
I knew for sure soon after that fateful night that there was indeed something wrong with Mello. As time progressed Mello grew ever more consumed with his writing, and seemed to be avoiding talking to Sayu and I more often.
"Mello, what's wrong?" I boldly asked one night after hunting. It was a night when Mello had skipped, and his face was drawn as he bent over his journal.
He looked up at me, his blue eyes flashing, and his expression almost afraid. "Nothing, my sweet."
I pouted, for once attempting to act 'adorable and irresistible' as Mello put it. "Really Mello, are you sure? There's nothing you haven't been telling me?"
Mello hesitated, biting his lop and quickly licking the blood before it could fall down past his mouth. "Well I have been thinking, but I'm not sure if my thoughts are worth anything to you."
I quickly kissed him on the cheek. It was not like Mello to be so hesitant and unsure of himself. "Your thoughts are the pearls of the ocean Mello, speak your mind."
Mello sighed and put down his pen. "I would rather hunt first; I have not the strength to tell you otherwise." He paused to kiss me, which I was surprised by, but rather enjoyed. "It had been too great a time since Mello had kissed me so hungrily. "And while I am gone I implore you to read what I have written, I know you've been eager to know what it is."
I smiled. "So you've finished it?" I asked.
Mello sighed again, but this time a ghost of a smile lightened it. "I have, my dear." He handed me the journal. "It's yours now, Near. Read it well and remember its contents but speak not of it to me."
Wondering why Mello would make such a comment, I opened it to the title page. Dark Shines. A curious title. "What is this?" I inquired.
Mello noticed me peering down at the title, which was written in his usual flamboyant hand. "The title's witty, isn't it?" He smirked, finally showing some enthusiasm for something.
"Yes, but what is about?" I asked again, this time my voice a little bit more firm.
Mello's face looked drawn and weary again. I hoped I did not irritate him with my relentless questions. "You have a woman's curiosity, you know." This made me blush. "It's my autobiography." He finally explained. "I think you need to know a little more of my past."
I was surprised, even a little astonished. Hadn't Mello said that he didn't want to relive past nightmares?
"Please just read it, Near." He kissed me on both cheeks. "Don't dwell on my decision to write it."
I nodded, and then looked at him. I almost found it hard to believe I was going to learn the history of my extravagant Maker. I would know him as a mortal child, know of his own Maker, and find out how he came to be so wealthy.
Mello fondly pushed a lock of hair behind my ear, though his satin gloved hands made the movement feel almost impersonal. "I'm off to hunt now, chéri. And when I get back I expect you to have read that."
I could only smile wanly before he vanished.
I then made myself comfortable and in an armchair, opened the journal, and began to read.
Reading as a vampire takes not time at all, I was easily done and had time to reflect before Mello returned. This I will not go into great detail of, Mello's past is a tale to tell later. His untold boyhood and experiences as a fledgling vampire is a story to tell on a more peaceful night, when the horrors can be laughed off and then forgotten about.
Mello surprised me, sneaking into the flat at a speed I couldn't detect. "Mon chéri, forgive me, forgive me."
My gasp was stifled when Mello reached over and fervently kissed me, his hands gently cupping my cheek.
"Forgive me, of please forgive me!" He practically cried each time he broke the kiss. Sometimes he infused his kissed with Blood, sending my head reeling. I finally had to protest that his kisses be stopped, for they soon were becoming viciously enticing, and I was rather impatient to figure out why Mello was begging for my forgiveness.
"Mello, please!" I exclaimed, having to use great force to push him out of my chair. He laughed slightly at my efforts, then got up and sat in the chair across the room.
"What is this great sin you have committed?" I asked, slightly flustered.
Mello then sighed in a serious manner and folded his hands in his lap. "Near, I've been thinking."
I gestured for him to elaborate.
"Well, a while ago while I was hunting I cam into the presence of Namikawa."
"So this is your sin!" I immediately reacted. "Mello how could you not tell me of such a thing? Pray tell Mello, what happened between you two?"
Mello flinched at my anger. Then standing up, he opened his arms in an embrace. I stood up, meaning to accept his gesture, but the moment I was within reach he grabbed me and held me close to him. So close in fact, that he almost held me off the ground. One arm was protectively wrapped around my waist, the other holding my head close to his neck. He kissed both cheeks, then my forehead.
Mello smiled wanly. "Your bangs look soft." It was an excuse to kiss my forehead again. "They are soft."
"Mello, what is it that you spoke of with Namikawa?" I seethed. Personally, I was taking this whole situation very seriously and was not at the moment flattered by his flirtations.
"He offered us protection, Near." He said softly as he stroked my hair. "From the True."
I was powerless to break his embrace. All I could was tense up. "You said Namikawa and his group were one of the enemies, Mello. Tell me you're not considering this offer." I was calm again, realizing that expressing my irritation would accomplish nothing.
Mello kissed my forehead and continued stroking my hair. "He was being honest Near, I could read his thoughts."
"As if Namikawa would open his mind to you!" I snapped.
Mello pulled away, holding me at shoulder length now. "My darling," he said in the most tender of tones. "Don't you trust me?"
I averted his eyes and muttered. "I trust you, Mello. Not what Namikawa says."
All of a sudden, don't as me why because I couldn't explain it, Mello turned cold and walked towards the door as if to make his leave. "Think on it Near." His voice was completely devoid of all emotion. It was a manner in which he had never spoken to me before, and it frightened and chilled me. "I would not enjoy having to use force with you."
Mello left the room and left me speechless. He indeed had committed a great sin. After what he had said I felt torn and betrayed. It almost made me want to believe that Mello was under some sort of spell, but I brushed away such illogical thoughts.
Some time later Sayu entered the room. "Are you alright Near?" She asked in a timid tone. I, after all, was just staring into the corner absently twirling a lock of hair around finger. "Mello seemed rather cross just now."
"Oui." I answered bluntly. I was not quite in the mood for talking with anyone.
Sayu sat down, and as she did so she leaned over to straighten the bow tied at my neck. She was very particular about our clothing, and like Mello wanted to see us dressed in nothing but the latest and finest fashions.
Sayu sat in silence for a moment, clearly understanding I needed a moment's thought before explaining to her what Mello had proposed.
"He wanted us to submit to Namikawa." I choked, practically spitting Namikawa's name.
"Mon Dieu, what has been going through Mello's head?" Sayu exclaimed, clearly distressed.
I shook my head slowly in a pondering manner. "Je ne sais pas… Maybe he's depressed. He did, after all, write this heart wrenching confession of his past." I held up the book for a moment for emphasis, and then put it back down.
Sayu looked downwards, her lower lip trembling slightly. "Oh this is all very depressing." She said to herself.
"Sayu… If it ever be necessary, do you think the both of us could overthrow Mello?" I truly wanted to vomit after having said that, but alas, I was dead. Anyway, I wanted to vomit because Mello was my Maker, and going against him was extremely taboo. Besides, I loved Mello with my whole being, and it just wouldn't feel right.
"I don't know Near, I don't know." And with that, Sayu hurriedly left the room. I felt not a reason for her to, because it wouldn't have been embarrassing if she had wept. If she did, I would have joined her.
Far away from my distraught family of blood drinkers, there was a mansion burning. The place was one hundred miles outside of Louisiana, some forgotten space ravaged and destroyed by the Civil War in Arkansas. It was close to sawn, and the sensible blood drinkers had retired to their crypts early.
The one burning the place was not sensible. He would do anything to please his god, even if it meant sacrificing himself to the lesser god Amon Ra. That was why he was now standing outside the mansion he was burning. Why, he was running around and screaming, "Sakujo!" Like a madman. Perhaps he was mad, but that was debatable.
Regardless, the man was pleased that he was succeeding in wiping out his god's second biggest enemy. Whatever dieing or not, the man knew that after this he would be most important of his god's disciples. Sure, the hated Misa Amane had almost eliminated Mello, but she had failed to kill him and that had infuriated the man's god much.
The man knew that all eight of his brethren blood drinkers would die there by the time the sun came, they would be burnt too bad already to save themselves. Despite being a very great nuisance to the man's god, they were weak. Sure, their leader Reji Namikawa may have been a cunning Child of the Millennia, and a great psychic even as a mortal, but he was infused with weak Blood.
The man, the vampire, the faithful follower of the True God, knew that the people in that seemingly normal country mansion would die.
The man was really enjoying himself now. Not was he screaming but he was now lobbing smuggled hand grenades, (a still fairly new invention at the time) at the house.
The man still knew what he was doing was wrong. In his mortal days he had been a prosecutor, a defender of justice. The man was killing with such unhindered glee now was because he was serving a higher purpose.
He was serving God.
And by the next night, Namikawa and his men were no longer with us on this earth. But nor were they walking in the Garden of the Lord. They were burning in Hell, just like they were burning in their last moments of undead life. And was how they would be burning for eternity.
It was sad, very sad indeed, that Mello had not realized he was released from his spell until many days after Namikawa's death. In fact, his own lack of faith in himself had acted as a placebo for the real curse. Mello went nights without it, but his mind was tricked. For nights he had relentlessly tried to convince Sayu and I that Namikawa was a genuine source of protection. For nights Sayu and I argued against him. Those nights of fighting should never have happened.
One evening the three of us were all sitting in the parlor and each reading different things. Mello happened to be reading the evening newspaper. He soon began to laugh out loud, guffaw, even. It was happy laughter though, and blood tears began to streak down his face.
"My, what is it Mello?" Sayu asked, looking up from her novel.
Mello rapped the article of the paper, and then began to read. "Listen to this, my dears. It says, 'Mansion of the honorable Oriental family Namikawa was mysteriously burned to the ground in middle of the night last week'!" Mello then erupted into more peals of laughter.
"That's fantastic…" I said. I certainly understood the reason to rejoice, but at the moment I believed Mello to be overreacting a trifle bit.
"Don't you see Near?" He asked after calming down somewhat. "I never believed Namikawa to be offering safety, he had hypnotized me!"
Sayu broke into wide grin that made her look very young. "So that's why you've been acting to queerly!" Sayu also then began to laugh, but in soft girlish giggles.
"That's fantastic, Mello." It was all I could say, really. Instead of talking, I chose to walk over to Mello, grabbing him by the shirt collar, and smash my lips to his.
Mello took this quite well of course, pulling me down into his lap and running his hands all over my chest. Sayu probably ended up blushing furiously and leaving to read in her bedroom. I wouldn't really know though, seeing as how I was primarily focused on the battle of tongues Mello and I were having. I didn't want to lose, you know.
A/N: I had fun writing the part with Mikami...
Anyway, you could probably tell by the tone of this chapter that I'm (LE GASP!) starting to wrap things up for City of Delusion. It'll probably be thirteen chapters like Bring Me To Life was. The thing is, I really wanna start on my next project, which is going to be Dark Shines. Yeah. Mello's previous 260 years of life, plus BMTL and COD written in his perspective. It'll be epic, I'm sure.
In short, what I'm trying to say is that, if you haven't already reviewed at least once, then you should review so you will get mentioned in my thank you video I'll post on YouTube at the end of this. I am a suckish review whore! Don't flame me for the week chapter! Bye!