Thank you, to everyone who has read, reviewed, and favorited this story, of mine. It's a good feeling to know that there are people out in the world who like it. Thank you all very much.

I had informed some of you that I would be updating soon, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to meet the time specified. The reason why, is because I have been suffering from the flu (type B, to be specific) for the past few days. I had no idea what it was until today, but all of my crazy symptoms and fevers should have given me a hint. I have never once had the flu, before now, but I should have known.

It isn't hard to understand the meaning behind the last chapter's title, "Care and Despair". Mello was caring for Near and was in despair over his well being. Near, sadly, experienced nothing but despair, throughout.

I have said it before, and will say it again, I have put some of my own personal experiences and feelings into this story and the characters. Not only that, but also things I have wondered about and seen, for myself... This chapter is no exception.

Disclaimer - I do not own "Death Note" or any of its characters.

Chapter 14

Unburied Emotions

Near stared up at the older boy. "What do you mean?"

"What?" Mello seemed to be mocking him now, "You don't know? That's a first."

The white haired boy tilted his head to the side, completely confused. What was Mello trying to say? I don't understand...

The blond teenager huffed loudly, an obvious sign of him growing impatient. Without waiting another moment, Mello bent down and roughly grabbed Near's shirt collar. He yanked him up onto his feet and glared into the twelve-year-old's dark, grey orbs.

"Mello," Near began calmly, "What are you doing, or, better yet, what are you trying to say?"

Mello, still clutching Near's shirt, smirked cunningly. "You're just a burden, you know."

"... Pardon?"

"What are you, slow?" Mello jerkily let go of the younger boy's collar. "No one's ever wanted you around!"

Near flashed a soft glare towards him. "Mello, that is not true. Mr. Wammy saw my purpose."

Mello laughed at this response. "That's just what I would expect from you... You don't seem to get the picture."

Near's glare subdued. What picture? What am I not seeing?

The black clad boy answered his thoughts. "You don't see that everyone is either freaked out by you, pity you, or simply use you!"

"Trust me," the younger boy sighed, "I know that I am not liked by everyone, but L, Matt, and Light Yagami have all been-"

"Wrong," Mello interrupted, slowly beginning to walk menacing circles around the boy, "Everyone that you mentioned, people that 'care' about you, are only putting on an act... No one liked, likes, or even loves you. Heh, your parents sure didn't!"

Near's heart tightened and stomach lurched, causing him to wince. No, don't start! he reminded himself. This isn't the real Mello, he's a fake. Not even the real Mello would be this cruel... would he?

The blond halted his steps, laughing in spiteful amusement. "Finally, you actually showed an emotion... pain! I was wondering if you even had a heart!"

Near averted his gaze downwards, trying not to show anymore of what he was feeling. Again, he wondered why he was currently having such difficulty in covering up his emotions. He was always so passive, regardless of any circumstance.

"Mello," his voice, barely above a whisper, "please... stop."

The older of the two laughed even harder this time. "Oh, so now you're gonna stand up to me? You've never done that before!"

"I don't want to repeat myself, Mello," Near looked up into the slightly taller boy's eyes, "Please, stop."

Mello smirked again, revealing his teeth this time. His appearance had not changed, but he began to resemble something ungodly, something evil it seemed.

Near didn't express it, but a cold, uncomfortable chill traveled throughout his body... He had never experienced something so ominous.

This Mello… He began to feel a dark, overwhelming intensity. This doesn't seem to be an illusion, nor is he the real Mello… Is he a demon, of some sort? Is this more than a simple nightmare?'

The unknown Mello suddenly, with both hands, grabbed Near's alabaster tresses and pulled him into his face. He pressed the younger boy's forehead against his own, forcing him to look more closely into his sinister eyes.

Feeling 'Mello's' tight grasp on his hair, Near didn't dare to try and move. He was unaware of what this supposed demon would do now, but continued to keep a steady gaze locked with the being… He would lose if he began showing fear, now.

"You're always hiding behind that mask of yours," the demon murmured condescendingly, "and as long as you hide… I'll always be around, lurking in the shadows around you."

Near, still careful of his reactions, calmly retorted, "You aren't real. This is all just a figment of my imagination."

"Really, now; I'm not real?" the dark being's lips twisted into a frightening smirk and tightened his grip on Near's hair a little more, causing the younger boy to wince. "I'll tell you what, I'll be waiting and watching for you to make a mistake," he turned Near's head to the left, so that he was whispering into his ear now, "Show me your weakness."

Then, within the blink of an eye, 'Mello' disappeared. Near gasped softly and took an unbalanced, alarmed step back.

"Where did... he go… Hello?"

No response.

He stood there, feeling more afraid of this silent darkness then before and hesitantly looked around him, expecting to see something terrifying. Nothing, but the pitch, black surrounding greeted him.

He said he would be waiting and watching for me to make a mistake... Then he told me to show him my weakness, Near pondered, gently rubbing the sides of his head where 'Mello' had grabbed him. I don't know where I am, but this seems to be more than a nightmare… Even so, I won't let it get to me… I can't afford to let that happen.

It was then that voices began to speak. No scenes or pictures, just sound.

"See that kid over there? He's smart, but a cold creep!"

His eyes widened. These voices... They were from the kids at Wammy's, boys and girls alike!

"Oh, God, it's him again!"

"He's so weird!"

"Get lost, geek!"

"Why does he always wear so much white?"

"With that skin and hair of his alone, you'd think he bleached himself or something!"

"Heh, he acts even weirder than he looks! Always so freaky and quiet..."

"No one's probably good enough for him!"

"No one wants you around, albino white trash!"

Near clamped his hands over his ears, trying to muffle the voices. They were simple words and phrases, but they had all hurt. No matter how many times he had heard those comments, it would always hurt. He had always been able to hide what he felt… Why did it feel that he was, now, failing? Was this what 'Mello' meant by revealing his weakness?

When will this end? Near shut his eyes and fell to his knees. I want to see the others… L, Light, Matt, the real Mello… I want to be with them.

That's when an all too familiar voice spoke again.

"We will come back to you, as soon as we can."

His hands slipped from his ears and limply hung by his sides. Her… That day…

"I'll be all alone," his own, six-year-old voice sounded now.

"Well... you could say it's sort of like a surprise."

Him... Near's head began to ache. "No... don't!" he yelled out into the darkness, "Please stop!"

"We need to hurry, if we want to meet our schedule."

"Right... of course... uh, be a good boy all right, Nate."

"I will."

Those last words echoed all around him… His own, naïve words…

Near's heart burned and throbbed more then ever now... It had all been so... indescribably painful! He thought he had gotten over that a long time ago, but that proved to be a wound that had never healed.

The preteen suddenly felt something warm and wet slide down his cheek. He gingerly touched the area, realizing they were his own tears…

He was crying.

N-No, I cannot... allow this. This nightmare... If I show it these tears, it will destroy me for sure!

He tried to force it back, but it was too late. He could feel his mask shattering... It couldn't be helped. Near buried his face in the palms of his hands, and allowed the silent, unseen tears to fall. He could no longer hold it back... all of this pain and sorrow he had hidden, over the years.

Why does this have to hurt so much? Where did I go wrong? Am I... Am I really such a weak person?

"Hm, what is... that?" Mello leaned over Near's head. "Are those... tears?"

Near was unconscious. His peaceful expression had not changed, but there were now small, delicate tears falling from the corners of his closed eyes.

Mello bent closer down to the younger boy's face. What is happening?

Near's pale lips began to tremble, along with the rest of his body, and closed his eyes more tightly. He appeared to be in a vast amount pain.

Mello began to feel panicked. W-What's going on? Does he have some kind of internal injury? I-I can't help him, if he does!

Near's eyelids suddenly flew open. His gaze was fixed upon the cloudy sky, as his entire body continued to shake. He looked horrified!

"Near?" Mello blankly stared at the, obviously, startled boy, "Near… Near!" he grabbed the other boy's shoulders and gently shook him, "Near, you've gotta calm down! What's wrong, with you?"

The white haired boy's tear-filled eyes cut from the sky to Mello's face. His shaking and trembling slowly began to cease, as well as his rapid heart rate. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes again, trying to retain a normal breathing pattern.

Mello continued to watch Near's face, still keeping a firm grip on the boy's shoulders. He was disturbed by this. What could have been going on in Near's mind, to make him react like this? That was something he had never seen anyone do before, and the last person he would have expected it to come from was Near!

Near slowly opened his eyes again. He looked at Mello's distraught expression, than turned his head away. Is he real, an illusion... or something else?

The blond boy slowly removed his hands from Near's shoulders. Why won't he look at me? He seems to be... afraid of me?

"Near."

The younger boy stiffly turned his fear-stricken gaze back to Mello, not saying a word. He really did look scared.

"What... W-What happened to you?" he asked, bewilderment overwhelming his mind. This was all so bizarre!

Near didn't answer, but continued to stare up at the teenager, beside him. He glanced to his chest, saw the blanket laid across him, and felt the cold dampness of his clothing. He could also feel a strange displacement within his torso…

This is real... This Mello is real, he decided. He has to be… I remember falling over a waterfall... Mello has found me and seems to be... caring for me...? He recalled the events before and after falling over the waterfall, including the nightmare. It was just a stupid nightmare. I shouldn't have let it get to me, like that.

"Near? Hey, Near, you still there?"

The white haired boy snapped out of his thoughts, and saw Mello waving a hand in front of his face.

Near nodded once, but still said nothing. So much had happened in reality and inside the nightmare. It was difficult to contemplate all that had gone on, and he didn't know if he could say anything. He had never felt so shut down before.

Well, this is awkward, thought Mello. He's completely out of it, and I don't know what to say! Ah, he must be mad or scared of me! Look at what's happened to him... Near doesn't even appear to be the same person, anymore.

"Near," Mello tried again, "what happened to you? How did you wind up falling down that," he pointed to the ridiculously tall wall of water behind him, "… t-that waterfall?" I bet that was scary; maybe that's why he's freaked out.

Near's wide eyes panned over to the tower of water, meters away from them. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words or sound came out. Am I really this hopeless? I can't even speak for myself... then again, I feel horrible, so-

"It's all right," he heard Mello say. "You don't have to say anything, right now. You're probably too... upset."

That last word, Mello had muttered, seemed to have a bitter tone attached. Near had a vague idea as to why that was, but he needed to ask... That is, if he could ask. His throat felt choked and sore.

The younger boy cleared his throat to try and speak again. "M-Mello," he dryly gasped.

Mello's eyes widened. "Y-Yeah?" So, he can talk... I guess that's good.

"How did," Near coughed lightly, "you find me? Where are the others?"

"We separated into two groups," Mello recalled. "Matt and I went one way, and L and Light went another. We thought we could cover more ground, that way."

"I... see. Where's Matt then?"

Man, he sounds awful. He must be getting sick from being left in the water, for God knows how long! Cold... Flu, maybe? I hope it's not pneumonia... The blond scratched the nape of his neck. "He went to go find L and Light. They should come, soon." I hope...

"All right, I-" Near coughed again, but this time more violently. He tried to muffle the sound by using his hands, but it didn't distract from the fact that it was still pitiful to hear.

What worried the blond even more was that Near had removed one of his hands—from his mouth—and desperately clutched his abdomen during his brief, uncontrollable convulsions. He wouldn't be doing that unless…

Oh, no… He might have broken ribs. Mello cringed at the sound and actions he was hearing and seeing. How could he help Near? He didn't have any medicine or a warmer change of clothes, for him... Come to think of it, that only had to make his condition worse. Lying in freezing water for awhile and then having to stay in those wet clothes... Ah, I hope L has something for him, because I sure don't!

"Mello," Near's hoarse voice croaked, his body finally starting to relax, "I-"

"Near, you shouldn't be talking," the blond told him sternly. "It'll only make matters worse, for you."

"T-This must be asked."

Sighing deeply, he decided to let Near ask him whatever he was going to ask him. Maybe, then, the younger boy would try to rest. "Fine, what do you wanna ask?"

The white haired boy cleared his throat again, shivered, and looked up into Mello's icy, blue eyes.

"Why did you leave me alone?"

This was the most emotionally intense chapter I have had to write, so far. The occurrences, in this chapter, could mean anything to anyone. For me, it was the harsh comments people have thrown towards me, and having to fight off my own inner demons. What I mean by 'inner demons' are those inside voices you might hear, or emotions you feel, trying to make you believe something about yourself that isn't true. It could also apply to those who feel their lives aren't worth living or that they are weak. Believe me; I have questioned these things about myself, in the past and with current struggles.

Near's nightmare sequence reveals all of this. I am certain anyone can say that they have felt an unwelcome presence or have heard an unwanted thought from within their own minds... or from someone else. I, myself, am the type of person who can hold back what I feel and remain fairly calm throughout most situations. For years, I was able to fool everyone into thinking I was all right, when I really wasn't... It was a mistake. If something is truly weighing down on your heart, you should talk about it. It may not be the most comfortable idea, but it may turn out to be the best thing, for you.

I wish I could reveal what happens next, but that will be for another time.

Thank you, for reading. I hope this wasn't a complicated, overdone chapter.