Phew! Sorry I haven't updated lately. Been sick and feelin down and I've had school work. I just gave up the whole poll thing, so sorry it took so long. Please, enjoy, but I am sorry if there are grammatical errors or if the thoughts aren't italized like I inteneded them to be, but ya know how things are. My computer is acting screwed up, so the italics don't work so well, heck I was lucky to get this first part of the story italized correctly.
As I said before sorry and please do enjoy.
~Fairylust~
Near could feel his stomach churning and his eyes tearing up once more. His wrists hurt badly and his ankles were bleeding. He was sure that the claw marks on his legs and back was beaded by blood, as well. Usually, the white haired boy could hide behind his stone wall of emotionlessness and not let anything leak through, however, it was times such as these, times where Beyond lost his temper, or was having a bad day, or was just his sadistic self, that made Near want to cry until he was drained of tears, but sadly once the tears started it seemed as though there was no end to them. He silently noted that the floor was colder than it usually was beneath his socked feet. Near shivered as a draft of air came from behind him. BB must have left the window open, he thought to himself. Although Beyond had his caring moments those were rather fleeting if BB was set off by something. Lately, the red-eyed psycho had been acting strange, well, stranger than he usually acted. Near couldn't escape, he knew that, so he forced himself to tell himself that despite the cruelty and abuse he loved Beyond nonetheless. "Has Nate learned his lesson?" "Y-yes." "Is he ready to apologize." "Ye-yes." "Then apologize." he hissed sounding strangely apathetic. "Apologize to me, Nate." "I am so-sorry f-for arguing with you, plea-please let me go." "Are you in pain?" Beyond cooed in a sickeningly sweet fashion, but Near knew he was taunting him. "Do you hurt?" "Ye-yes." "Will you promise to behave yourself if I untie you?" "Y-yes, yes, please, please untie me." "No crying?" "No crying." Near promised. "I'll be a good boy." he added in a voice that wasn't above a whisper. "Good." He said sounding like he was in a good mood. "You're a very good boy, Nate." Near made a mental note to not do anything that would displease Beyond. He didn't want to get punished again. His body was sore and aching and he felt rather lightheaded. Near felt the elder male's pale hands untie his wrists and then his ankles. The albino sniffed wiping the remaining tears away. He stood up hoping to be able to go get some sleep in his room, but as always, Beyond had other plans. Cradling Near's face in his hands, Beyond smiled, being abnormally gentle with the younger male, who wondered what put him into such a mild mood. Beyond brought their pale lips together, softly slipping his tongue into Near's mouth. Near gasped at the tenderness of the kiss. It was so different than what he usually had to put up with. It was not vindictive or harsh, but full of lust and warmth. Their tongues didn't battle for dominance, as they usually did, but instead, moved together in a deliberate fashion. Near had to give B credit, seeing as he actually knew how to use tenderness when the mood struck him. Near shuddered as hands moved down to the hem of his white cotton pants ready to get on with the show. Near realized that the softness was now gone. But he had to admit that it was nice while it had lasted.
"Hey, wake up!" Mello shouted as he watched the small boy writhe in his sleep. His face contorted in agony as he slept, but that just made the blonde want to wake him up even more. It seemed as though the poor albino was trapped in his own personal hell and couldn't escape. "Near! Hey Near! Wake the hell up!" he shouted starting to wonder if he should really be waking the albino.
Yes. he told himself. The younger teen woke with a start letting a fearful cry escape from deep within his throat. The screams didn't stop until sleep had cleared from his eyes and he realized he wasn't with a strange, malicious, psychopath anymore, but was being held prisoner by Mello and his friends, who were all, probably, wanting to punish him for his sins.
And he'd committed a lot of sins.
Oh, joy. He thought bitterly after he let his eyelids slip shut halfway. Mello shuddered as Near's eyes glowed in the dimly lit room like two rubies against silvery moonlight.
"What do you want?" Near mumbled. He didn't sound annoyed as Mello thought he would. In fact, he didn't sound anything, but blank. The blonde was silent as he studied the small boy's blank face. It was as though all the hostility and defiance had been sapped from his small figure. Mello was sure that he was ready to surrender, as he wasn't even trying to struggle against his bonds anymore. The thought would have pleased anyone else, but it just made the blonde feel hollow.
"I was just wondering if you're ready to act right." Mello lied knowing he had really came in to lecture him about getting Matt hurt and trying to escape and all that other stuff that had happened hours ebfore. But now he just couldn't even think of scolding poor, little Near. He just seemed so helpless.
"I will act as I act not as you want me to act."
"I thought you'd say something like that." Mello said scowling. How could Near be so stubborn? "That's why I brought these." The blonde genius said holding up handcuffs and some sort of silver-colored anklet. "I'm going to let you go, but we're going to be spending a lot of time together." Mello said matter-of-factly, as he put the anklet-like thing around Near's left ankle, and then handcuffed both of their wrists. Near tilted his head interested, as to what Mello had put around his ankle. He gave Mello a look of curiosity and confusion.
"It's a tracking device." He explained. "If you get loose then we'll be able to find you and if you attempt to remove it you'll receive a rather painful shock. It's mostly used on criminals and suspects, but you're an exception."
You seem to always be an exception, especially when it comes to the greater things life has to offer. The blonde thought gloomily. Near could sense a trace of sadness on Mello's face and was instantly puzzled. Why was he sad? He wasn't the one who lost everything and was being monitored like a filthy, diseased creature. "Am I?" Near couldn't help but to mutter sounding dazed as he stood up to stretch his numbed muscles.
"Yes." Mello replied nodding. His tone was soft, but Near winced a bit hearing the reply to his question, which he didn't think would have been answered. Looking from his wrist to Near's Mello wondered if this was the best idea. There were other alternatives weren't there? Yes, but perhaps this was the best. It was a gut-feeling Mello got, but he knew that the albino was dangerous and very clever. As he turned his attention back to Near's face he saw, for the briefest of moments, a shattered child that was afraid of everything and angry at everyone in the world. I can fix this. He told himself feeling anger towards Beyond. I know I can fix what he broke. It's just not gonna be easy. And hopefully I can watch BB get the death penalty.
Why did he have to screw around with Near's life? Couldn't he have chosen someone else or was he just that cruel? Was Beyond's aim to really hurt L by claiming one of his successors or was that just more lies? What was the truth and what wasn't? Was Near just a replacement for Beyond's lost friend/lover, as L had suspected? What did he gain from any of this? Did Beyond intend for all of this chaos to ensue or was Near merely a pawn that he secretly manipulated?
Shaking away all the questions Mello knew he could help Near.
He just needed time.
"Come on," he said keeping his tone strong, so he tugging Near forward a bit, "you should see L and Matt. They've been wanting to talk to you."
"I raped him." Near mumbled gloomily. "I hurt people, all the time."
"Matt? Ah, don't worry yourself about that. It's over and done with. I mean, he's a tad uncomfortable about you being around, but overall I think he forgives you for what you did. He knows you aren't...well...how should I say this...sane? Anyway, as for the latter, Near, it's not your fault. Beyond forced you into hurting people. You didn't have any say in the matter. You were forced into it."
"Beyond didn't hold a knife to my throat." the albino said in his monotone voice. "My life wasn't threatened, so that means I did everything of my own free will."
"Shut up." The elder hissed. "Just shut up, Near. He did force you into it, because he forced you to be afraid of him, afraid of failing him, of displeasing him. You don't know what you're talking about when you say it was your own fault. If it was, then I'm a flying raccoon who eats chocolate and can freeze things with my mind."
Near didn't respond, but there was a depressed look about him.
As soon as they were in the living room of the apartment the atmosphere became thick with tension and unease. L was the first to speak, thus he was the one who broke said tension.
"You seem to be all right. Does your eyes hurt?" he asked in his usual monotone voice. Near blinked turning his head away from the three males that had their eyes trained on him. Near couldn't let them see his eyes, not now, he was beginning to feel insecure about having Beyond's eyes as his own now. He nodded once to answer back. "How do they hurt?" L asked with a gaze that didn't waver once.
"The light stings them, but it's normal." Near confessed. "I am quite used to it."
"You should probably have them looked at." L said with a small grin that was meant to be friendly. "It can't be healthy to have eyes that sting when exposed to the light."
It can't be healthy to gobble sugar all the time, either. Near thought feeling a bit insulted.
"I'll get him an appointment with a doctor." Matt said leaving the room hastily. It was obvious he felt edgy and unsettled around the albino. Mello pulled Near over to the sofa and they both sat down there. "Matt, make sure you get a competent doctor this time!" Mello called recalling Matsuda's brief visit. The redhead didn't answer back, but that just let Mello know that he wasn't going to argue. "Can I have my contacts back?" Near asked quietly, breaking the momentary silence, which had engulfed the room for a split second or so. "Sure." Mello said taking the contacts from his pocket. He gave them to Near who stared at them with distain. The blonde noticed this and felt a bit of pity for the albino.
If something had gone wrong he could've been blinded for life. Mello thought grimly. If he had gone blind, then Beyond might have killed him, because he wouldn't have been useful handicapped. And if that had happened...what would I do now or what would be happening if Beyond hadn't killed him? Would things be any different?
Mello forced those unpleasant thoughts from his mind grateful that none of that had actually occured. He kept his eyes on Near watching as Near was careful putting the dark colored contacts in, before he blinked a few times so that his now ebony eyes fully adjusted to having the contacts covering up his self-hated ruby red eyes. "You won't need them soon." L said as he read something from his laptop. Apparently it was good, because it made him grin. Mello felt a bit curious. What had him in such an optimistic mood all of a sudden? L got up silently and stalked off out the front door leaving both Mello and Near wondering where he was going.
~An Hour Later~
L stood outside of a specialized cell. Beyond Birthday paced the inside, whilst L watched from behind a bulletproof plastic-like glass wall. Beyond seemed puzzled as to why L was there, but knew it was purely business. It wasn't like him to drop by just for visits.
"Hello." BB finally said appearing slightly angry. "I see you're still alive."
"Yes," L replied with a nod, "that fact alone should let you know we've caught Near. Seeing him as he is makes me wonder how much trouble you went to just to drive him to the state he's in. It also makes me wonder how many lies you've been feeding us."
"Don't worry," B said with a smirk, "it was no trouble at all. He was so fragile. Classic brainwashing techniques work very well. All I had to do was torment him and deprive him of nutrients and sleep. After a while he fell into line and I shaped him to my liking from there on out. It was so easy, so very simple."
"You've taken everything from him."
"And I feel no guilt."
"We're trying our best to rehabilitate him."
"You can't fix a broken mirror." B sneered. "What do you think you can do for him? You cannot make him forget nor can you bring him happiness and you can't ease his fears. Nate knows what he did and he knows what will happen when we meet again."
"Don't deceive yourself Beyond." L said coldly. "You can't escape and we're keeping Near as far from you as we can. He doesn't deserve to be harmed again, not by your hand. He's been through enough. The fact Mello is taking charge of him makes me believe he's been punished quite enough. In truth I believe you've made our job of helping him easier. His will and determination are very strong."
"His soul is mine, L! You can believe that. His soul, body, heart, and mind are all mine! It would do you good to remember whom Nate belongs to."
"He doesn't belong to anyone. He's a person not a thing that can be owned."
"…."
"I honestly feel at fault that you got your hands on him." L confessed glaring at Beyond who didn't appear remorseful at all.
"And you should."
"But I don't, because it isn't me who is at fault, no, it's you."
"Personally," Beyond continued as though he hadn't heard a word L had said, "if I were you I would concentrate on the living rather than the dead, because that is what he is on the inside. Nate is dead, cold, numbed, he is exactly like me."
"He is nothing like you." L said with obvious dislike. "And don't treat me like a fool, Beyond. I know I can't give him the past years back nor can I ease the pain you have caused him, just like I know that I can't make him feel content after all you did to him, after all the things you made him do, but I can damn well make sure that, in the very least, he gets his eyes back."
Beyond narrowed his eyes after pulling his contacts out. "Hmm, Nate wasn't supposed to tell anyone it was to be our little secret." He said scornfully. He was now an exact copy of L and truthfully it creeped the real L out.
"I will have the surgery scheduled for next week." He said biting his thumb gently. "Oh, yes, Beyond did you know that Near had BPD?"
"Yeah. So what?"
"Nothing." He muttered. "It was just a question."
~*~Back at the apartment~*~
"Mello, Melly-Mel-Mel-Mello!" Matt called from the kitchen doorway. "I need to ask you something."
"What?" the blonde asked clearly annoyed.
"Why do killers look adorable when they sleep?" he asked looking at Near who had fallen into a silent sleep beside Mello. His face was dusted pink and his lips were parted a bit. He was obviously having good dreams. It just scared Mello and Matt to think of what dreams Near's mind would classify as 'pleasant'. The blonde replied with a shrug, "Dunno, I guess it's the same reasons just about all killers are usually smoking hot."
"Hmm, hey I think he's saying something!" Matt said moving a bit closer. "Yeah, I can barely hear what it is though!"
They both leaned in close to hear what the albino was saying and much to their surprise he whispered out a short list of toys, which were: robots, dice, marbles, legos, puzzles, rubber ducks, action figures, water guns, darts, chess, checkers, cards, and oddly enough, he even mentioned stuffed animals. Mello gave Matt a smirk.
"He's still obsessed with toys." Mello snickered.
His redheaded friend stifled his laughter. The front door opened, and then closed silently. Mello and Matt looked up not at all surprised to see L; however, they were surprised to see that he appeared rather frustrated. Nothing seemed to frustrate him, but as he stalked off past them they noticed how tense he was. What had happened? Neither knew and had a feeling that they didn't want to know.
"What's wrong with him?" Matt asked the blonde quietly.
Of course you'd be so clueless as to ask me something I know nothing about. Mello thought rolling his eyes. "I know as much as you do." He said hoping to not hurt his best friend's feelings by saying what he thought. He really didn't want to get on Matt's bad side. He was the only friend he really had, aside from L, that is. His and Near's status was unknown to him. They clearly weren't friends, but they didn't seem to be enemies either.
So what were they exactly?
Mello shrugged the question away, deciding to think about it later.
"Let's go see." He said taking the key to the handcuffs from his pocket. "Near should be okay on his own. I mean, what can he do when he's asleep? We'll be back before he wakes up. Let's go see what's got L all upset. It might be important."
Matt nodded following the blonde. They went to the kitchen to talk with L about what had him the way he was and L explained everything that occurred before, during, and after his visit with Beyond. He told them what Beyond had said and about his plans to get them (Beyond and Near, no duh-de-duh!) to trade eyes back. And he explained how B wasn't even sorry for what he had done, but that didn't surprise either of them, at all.
"He thinks he's so great," Mello snorted in disgust, "he's not. He's just a monster and I swear if he tries to screw around with Near's mind anymore than what he already has I'll kill that son of a bitch."
"We don't doubt that." Matt said as he got up from the table to stretch his legs that were beginning to cramp up real badly. "You can do whatever you like as long as you've got a gun or, you know, something like that."
"Agreed. I think it'll be best if you went back to Near, Mello, before he wakes up. He is unpredictable, emotionally and mentally unstable, and he may try to make a run for it if he sees a chance."
Nodding in agreement Mello turned and headed back for the living room, hoping that Near hadn't woken up, but that hope was soon destroyed. He froze the moment he stepped into the room. His mouth opened slightly so that he was gaping. Matt noticed his friend was staying as still as a stunned rabbit, so he went to see what had made him freeze. It didn't take a genius to realize what was making Mello freeze up like a stunned rabbit, because in all honesty it made blood start gushing from the redhead's nose. neither expected to see Near, who came off as an insane psycho-bitch, to seem so cute and so, so very hot. Near stared at them blankly removing his hand from his pants, whilst the blush faded from his face.
"Something wrong other than the fact Mello undone the handcuffs?" he asked breathily. After a moment he looked down at his cum covered hand. "Oh, yeah, I got an erection and decided to take care of it. You should already know that, though."
"Piss off!" Mello snapped.
"Screw you!" Matt spat blushing furiously. "Just because that was hot doesn't mean a thing!"
"I'm attractive to Matt and Mello?"
Neither Matt nor Mello responded as they both blushed beet red. They both had major nosebleeds around that point, meanwhile Near sat on the sofa showing off a small, timid grin. Dammit, the blonde thought staggering over to Near and putting the cuff back on his pale wrist, this is gonna be so much harder than I thought!
Gods, Matt thought dabbing his nose with a tissue, he's so damn cute especially when he's masturbating! How could I say something so embarassing? And how the hell can anyone, even Mello, be angry or annoyed or afraid of him when he's like that? Damn! Now I got a boner!
Near gave them a smirk knowing that he was going to have tons of fun with these two.
Hope that was satisfactory! Well, at least ya all know that I'm not dead and that I'm beginning to update my stories again. Oh, and happy Valintine's Day!
Wait...was that misspelled?
Oh, well, have a happy holiday! And I just want those of you who were begging for me to update Cannibal Land to know that I plan on updating as soon as I can! Please be patient and the updates will be all the sweeter! Sorry, if that sounded wrong or confusing or ya know whatever! Why do I use that word so much? *Rolls eyes* Oh, and soory for grammatical errors I'm currently making, but I'm trying to hurry so I can finish the update for that fanfic!
Sorry I fell behind in updates!
~Luv Fairylust~