Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


Search For The Sun

Chapter 12

Day 27

"If you need me I will be in the library," Beyond helped her on her bed. "Do you want me to stay?"

"I would like to be alone," She said rolling onto her side to stay at the wall.

"See you tomorrow," Aden told her before turning and walking out her door.

Beyond followed Aden out silently, his expression seeming slightly disappointed at her refusal.

He gave her a strained smile before shutting the door behind him.

Her mind was still on her dream, though she wished to just forget it.

She hated nightmares and thus hated sleep.

She knew she needed a certain amount of sleep to survive, but couldn't bring herself to sleep more than a couple hours every week.

It gave her headaches, which were temporary numbed due to the pain pills she was taking for her ankle.

It helped a bit, but the pills made her sleepy.

She tried to keep her eyes open, but found her mind becoming foggier.

She grabbed a glass of water that was sitting on her nightstand and greedily gulped it down.

The water was slightly warm from sitting by her lamp, but it helped to clear her mind a bit.

She swung her legs over the side of her bed and started to pace, which was extremely hard considering she had to use crutches.

She didn't notice the door open and a slouched form enter, she was too busy trying not fall asleep.

"Damn it!" She cursed when she tripped over her own feet and fell to the floor, her injured ankle hitting the floor with a low thump.

"Are you okay?" L questioned, kneeling beside her fallen form.

"No!" She yelled, shocking L. "I'm not okay! I broke my ankle falling from a tree, after having a dream where my best friend killed himself and I couldn't stop him!"

She tried her hardest to stand, but couldn't push herself off the ground without jostling her ankle.

L offered her a hand, but she gave him a dirty look and stopped trying to stand.

She rolled onto her side, staring at the white wall.

It's not as though it interested her, she just didn't want to look at the face that was so much like Beyond's.

L didn't force his help on her like Beyond would have, he just silently sat in his regular crouch beside her.

"Yes?" She asked looking at him from the corner of her eye.

He was staring at her with a strange look on his face like he wanted to say something he knew he shouldn't.

"Have you ever considered sleeping pills?" He was surprised when her green eyes narrowed dangerously at him. If looks could kill, he would probably be long gone.

"I have taken sleeping pills before," She turned her glare to the wall. "They just made it difficult to awaken."

He nodded as though he understood, but the look in his eyes suggested otherwise.

"It was as though I became trapped in my nightmares and when I would finally awaken I was exhausted from screaming." She sat up, making sure not to bump her leg against anything.

"I see," He bit the end of his thump lightly.

Dakota tried unsuccessfully to stand again, but fell backwards and hit her ankle lightly.

A sharp hiss escaped her lips as she clenched her fists.

"Do you need help?" He asked, crawling towards her.

It was obvious she did, but he refused to help unless she asked for it.

If he helped against her will she would feel like a child and he didn't want to offend her.

"Yes," She sighed heavy and was surprised when she was suddenly lifted off the wood floor.

She was tucked perfectly into his arms, and was slightly disappointed when he laid her down gently on her bed.

"Thank you," She whispered looking at her ceiling.

"You are very welcome Miss Hudson," He chuckled lightly.

"Please do not call me that," She begged, "My name is Dakota."

"The adults would consider it inappropriate if I were to call a female around my age by her first name," He took a seat in her computer chair desk, which others seemed to use more than she did. "It insinuates a deeper relationship than allowed."

"Allowed?" Dakota repeated, her brows raising.

"I am L. I am not allowed to have any type of relationship," He said, his eyes darkening slightly.

"And why not?" She pushed her back against her headboard and sat up.

"There is a 90 percent chance I will die," He replied bluntly his gray eyes now emotionless.

It was as though he was sure he was going to die and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

It was as though he accepted it.

"Do not talk about death like that," Dakota scolded him, her expression stern.

"Like what?" He was confused, why was she angry now?

"Like it doesn't matter. Nobody here wants you to die," She laid back down, her eyelids drooping.

"Of course people here want me to die. This orphanage wouldn't be here if they didn't expect me to die," He stood and walked towards the door.

"I don't," She whispered as he shut the door.

She heard his steps echoing through the empty hall way as he walked towards the stairs.

She would have fallen asleep if not for the crash outside her room.

She quickly collected her crutches, which L had sat conveniently by her bed, and hurried out in the hall way.

Once there she found Mello had thrown a vase at the wall, and it had shattered across the floor.

Pieces of colorful glass lay everywhere, including the place where Dakota was standing.

She winced as she felt a piece cut into the heel of her foot.

"What happened?" She wondered noticing Mello was still seething mad and Crimson was trying to calm him to the best of her abilities.

"It's that damn Near!" He shouted his blue eyes feral. "He thinks he's so amazing!"

"P-please c-calm d-down," Crimson stuttered, her small figure shaking. Her emerald eyes were filled with tears. "H-he d-didn't m-mean too."

"What didn't he mean to do?" Aden asked appearing out of nowhere.

It was then Dakota noticed children were crowded around.

"Go back to all you're rooms!" She called out in her smooth voice.

Some grumbled and didn't move, while others immediately cleared out not wanting to cause trouble.

"You heard her!" Aden's voice was the exact opposite of her soft voice, being loud and commanding.

His gold eyes were narrowed dangerously, letting the children know not to defy him.

The children who hadn't left were now gone leaving only Crimson, Dakota, Aden, and Mello standing in the now clear hall.

"Well?" Dakota asked using the voice she used on children while trying to get them to admit to something.

"Don't act like your better than me!" He shouted, his fist hitting the wall behind her.

He leaned in his face inches from her's.

"Just who do you think you are?" His lips twisted upwards into a cruel smirk.

"Well, I am a girl who wants to know what bothered her friend enough to throw a probably very expensive vase against the wall. I am a girl, who at the moment, is standing barefoot on shattered glass." His eyes widened as he took a couple steps back. "It is not them greatest feeling in the world, but I would rather know what is bothering you."

"It is Near. He did it again," He spat on the floor, "He beat me on a case and then acted like it was nothing."

"Well, maybe for him it was." Dakota said, her eyes boring into his. "If you have not noticed, he doesn't do much beside work and stack blocks with Rain."

"But that's not fair!" Mello retorted.

"No it isn't!" Dakota snapped, "But then again life isn't fair and I believe you know that as well as I do!"

"No need to yell," Beyond walked up from the stairs. "What happened?"

"Mello lost his temper," Aden stated, "And Dakota stepped in glass, so I would like to get her to the infirmary."

"I have been to the infirmary once in the past week, and I am not going back!" She was still impatient with everything that had happened in one day. "I'm sorry, I am really tired."

"It's fine 'Kota," Aden smiled walking towards her. "I think I'll be able to manage cleaning those cuts, while Mello cleans up the glass."

He shot the blond boy a look, and practically growled the last words showing he was completely serious.

"I'll help," Beyond said, picking Dakota up before Aden did.

Aden grabbed her crutches quickly, knowing she would need them later.

"Thank you," She sighed resting her head on his chest.

She could hear his heart beat clearly, making this position seem strangely intimate.

She tensed as her cheeks turned a bright crimson.

Aden didn't appear to appreciate Beyond acting so friendly with her, but didn't say anything though his eyes darkened.

"So where to?" Beyond asked, carrying towards her room.

"My bathroom," She replied, her body still refusing to relax completely in his hold.

He nodded showing he had heard as he entered her room.

Aden tossed her crutches onto her floor carelessly, and opened the bathroom door for Beyond.

Beyond set her down on the closed toilet seat as Aden searched her drawers for supplies.

"I seem to be getting injured a lot here," She mentioned, chuckling humorlessly.

The cuts on her feet were starting to sting slightly, as she waited for Aden to bandage them.

Aden pulled out a bottle of peroxide, and a washcloth.

"Hold your heel over the bathtub," He demanded, opening the bottle.

She nodded and did her best, though it was hard, to obey.

"This will probably sting," He informed her pouring it lightly over her injured foot.

She wasn't bleeding much, but it still tingled lightly as the peroxide hit the cuts.

Dakota watched her blood bubble with a morbid fascination.

Aden washed it gently with the wash cloth and wrapped it tightly with bandages, mumbling something about her being accident prone.

She narrowed her eyes slightly but didn't say anything, seeing as it was true.

Well, at least it had been for the last couple of days.

Beyond lifted her into his arms and carried her from the bathroom.

She allowed him to carry her to the bed.

He was extremely gentle with her as he set her down on her covers, as though she would shatter at any second.

She ignored this, though she wasn't fond of being treated like she was fragile, and rolled over to lay on her side.

She wasn't quite sure why this upset her so badly.

Maybe it was because she wanted to be strong like her mother.

Her mother would never complain even when she had the right to.

Her mother never cried, or at least Dakota had never seen her cry, over the fact Dakota's father had left them.

She had just smiled and worked to afford a medium sized house, and plenty of things.

Dakota was proud of her mother.

She still missed her, and wished she hadn't left her.

But if she hadn't, then Dakota would have never met Aden or Beyond, or even L.

She would be a loner at her high school where every class was barely a challenge.

Beyond had been watching her expression change from annoyed, to happy, to sad, and finally her expression became unreadable again as she looked out the nearby window.

It was pitch black outside, the stars barely shining through the thick clouds.

"What time is it?" She suddenly asked.

"10:30," He replied, sitting on the edge of her bed.

She yawned tiredly, covering her mouth with a hand.

Her eyes started to droop before closing for the night.

He was sure she would be awake in a couple hours, seeing as her nightmare usually were the worst after a bit.

He took his seat by her desk and began to search through her drawers.

He briefly looked over her paintings and drawings with admiration.

He loved how lifelike all her pictures were.

She added amazing detail, to each and every one.

He decided to leave her room before she awoke and found him looking through her things.

"Bonne nuit mon amour," He whispered, turning off her light as he let himself out.


Bonne nuit mon amour : means good night my love