AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I don't own Death Note cuz if I did L wouldn't have died...

Mello and Matt had been awake for quite a while since Near had been taken and the brunette seemed to get more and more worried as every minute passed. Near still hadn't been brought back and they had both been waiting for at least a half an hour. They kept waiting for another half an hour despite feeling their eyelids droop with fatigue. After this much time, Mello was beginning to get frustrated at how much longer they would have to wait. He then promptly gave in to his sleep, grumbling something about how Near wasn't worth all this hassle. Matt, on the other hand, was far too anxious to do the same. He continued watching the metal bars until his body refused to let him stay awake any longer and his eyelids just shut on their own accord. Both were now fast asleep on the ground of the cold metal cell, yet they were far too deep in their sleep to notice how uncomfortable it really was. About three hours into their rest, they were awoken by the heavy cell doors opening. Mello grumbled something akin to a curse before falling right back asleep, not bothering to check where the noise that came from. This was not the case for Matt, who immediately shot awake, knowing that It had to be Near. The man had to have finally brought him back and Matt was impatient to ease his worries. His eyes darted up, to look at what condition the youngest boy was in, but soon widened with what he saw. Even in the darkness of the cell, he could tell that something was seriously wrong. Near's body was shaking, and it was obvious to him that the man had shown him no mercy, even when finally bringing him back to the cell from the hours and hours of torture that he'd just endured. Wade dropped Near to the ground and kicked him into the cell, causing the boy to let loose a short whimper.

"That was fun," the man said creepily "let's do it again some time kid," He smirked before yawning and heading off to what Matt assumed was probably his bedroom accommodation. Whatever the case, Matt didn't waste time in rushing over to Near, who was curled in on himself, with his body covered in bruises and what could only be… blood. What did he do to him! He felt bile raise up to his throat, and tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He couldn't have… right…? Matt's thoughts were getting seriously dark and disturbing so he forced his focus back to the present and onto Near for now.

"Near… where did he hurt you." He whispered gently. When the white haired boy didn't respond, Matt reached his hand forward and touched his shoulder. Before his hand landed though, Near flinched violently out of the way. Matt was shocked. Does he… think I'm gonna hurt him… "Near… I promise I'm not gonna hurt you" Matt's eyes had failed to contain his tears and now he was openly crying. He was scared for all of them, but right now, he was so very scared for Near.

"What goin' on" Mello's voice suddenly mumbled. The blonde sat up rubbing his eyes, before setting his sights on the scene in front of him. Is that Matt and… Near? Mello scooched forward, making his way towards the two others.

"Matt…" The blonde whispered in shock. "Are you… crying?" Matt had immediately begun to wipe the tears away from his face, as to not let Mello see that he had, in fact, been crying. It had been a fruitless attempt, but he refused to pay mind to it.

'Mello… I told you…" he cried, his voice breaking as he tried to finish his sentence, "I said that they were gonna do something to him." Matt sniffed trying to get himself under control. Mello's eyes widened in remembrance and he glanced down at Near, realizing that Matt had been right. Near was looking horrible. Whatever that man had done to him, wasn't what anyone

would call 'an eye for an eye'. Near had simply bit him, and although the bite had been pretty nasty, this was… this was too much. Near seemed to have specks of blood staining parts of his, usually pristine, white pyjamas. He was bruised almost everywhere they could see, and what made it worse was that the only currently exposed parts of his body were his hands, face, and feet. Who knew how much worse it could be below his clothes. Mello was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard Near say something…

"What's wrong Near… what did he do to you?" Mello found himself asking, much more gently than he thought he could. He leaned forward in order to hear what Near was saying but instead, noticed that his breathing was ragged and labored. He leant in a little bit closer and felt slightly uncomfortable when he heard a slight rattle as the boy was breathing. That doesn't sound good.

"… I think he b-broke my… r-ribs." Near whispered, wincing after the last syllable escaped his lips. Mello noticed that Near was weakly clutching at his side. The blonde boy bit his lip. This wasn't looking good. He had already suspected that Wade might have broken a few of his bones, but that didn't mean he wasn't surprised to hear it from Near himself. He noticed that Matt had managed to calm himself down and was now looking quite determined. The blonde sighed before speaking his mind.

"Matt…" he muttered "He most likely has… broken ribs." A part of him felt kind of bad, knowing full well that Matt had just managed to calm himself down, and was now being told something even more worrying. This sense of guilt was slowly washed away, though, as soon as he considered the fact that both him and Matt needed to be fully aware of everything when it came to their current predicament. If either of them chose to remain ignorant, he knew that they could really end up screwing up their situation even more. It could even cost them their lives. To say he wasn't surprised when Matt didn't start crying again, would be a lie but he kicked himself for thinking that Matt was so weak. He chose to be friends with him for a reason and that reason was because Matt had never been like some of the other kids who sucked up to him just because of his position. Matt had always been extremely caring so he couldn't bear to see anyone he cared about in any kind of pain. He was the type of person to feel sympathy for a complete stranger, hence the tears he shed for Near. Mello wasn't at all shocked when his best friend put a hand on his shoulder and whispered,

"Mels… we gotta help him...." Mello knew that Matt's kindness would get the better of him someday, but for now, Mello couldn't refuse him. Near seemed to be in pretty bad shape, and he felt that it would only be right to, at the very least, make sure he wasn't dying. At this current moment there wasn't much that they could even do for Near. Their efforts might not even show a result in the end, but Mello knew that they still had to at least try. With this thought in mind the blonde curtly nodded. Near or not, he's still hurt and we can't just leave him like this. All we really need to do is keep him alive until we get rescued. How hard could that possibly be? Mello, once again, looked at the trembling form in front of him. just as he was about to reach his hands forward to try and examine him, he was abruptly stopped by Matt, who grabbed his hand before it made any contact with Near.

"Mels… don't" He said quietly, causing the blonde to give him a strange look.

"Don't what?" Mello asked skeptically. Did Matt really think he would hurt Near? Matt and Mello had been friends since they were little kids. Matt had to know, at least by now, that he wasn't so low as to kick someone that was already down. "Why…" Mello inquired with confusion lacing his voice. After all, he had only been trying to help so far; what could possibly be a good reason for Matt to stop him? Matt seemed hesitate before replying.

"I think he's scared… cuz… I tried to touch him a bit ago and he flinched away." Matt was careful about speaking quietly. It was as if he thought that speaking too loud would cause the small white haired boy on the ground to break into pieces. Mello, on the other hand, hadn't even considered the possibility of Near being frightened. It hit him like a shock, Near was a human being. It was so easy to forget that, with his always cold and calm demeanor, but now when he was laying in front of them, vulnerable to anything and anyone, Mello didn't know how to act. Maybe he won't get scared like that again if I warn him before trying to touch him. The idea was worth a shot…

"Hey, Near…" Mello muttered to the white haired boy. Near didn't say anything in response. He was too busy focusing on his breathing in a pitiful attempt to take his mind off of how much everything hurt. Mello didn't get frustrated for a change; he just calmly tried again "Near, I'm gonna have to take a look so don't panic if I touch you..." The blonde hadn't expected him to reply this time either, so he was a bit surprised when he heard Near weakly hum in response. Mello brought his hands towards the young shaking kid and slowly and carefully managed to shift Near into a flat lying position. Near mumbled a few protests here and there, but Mello assumed that they were probably from the pain. The young boy was still clutching at his side and shaking terribly. Mello couldn't explain the strange sinking feeling he felt in his chest when he saw Near that way. It was as if his heart hand suddenly sunk into his stomach. The feeling didn't make any sense. Why would he care if Near was in pain? Mello gulped his feelings down and instead focused on carefully prying Near's hand off from his side. Near was pressing on the wound pretty tightly, but forcing off his hand wasn't a challenge for the blonde, especially since condition didn't do any favors for his strength. When he had finally removed Near's hand, he hesitated a bit to lift his shirt up. What if it's really bad...? Mello didn't want to admit it, even to himself, but he was feeling slightly anxious. He'd never really seen a bad injury before, and found himself really hoping that Near's wounds weren't as bad as he was expecting them to be. Then again, they had to be pretty severe for Near to admit to thinking that his ribs were broken. He decided to mentally count down from three, telling himself that once he reached one, he would lift Near's shirt to reveal the wound.

Three. He grabbed both corners of the shirt.

Two. he gripped tighter and took a breath.

One. he eased the shirt up and forced himself to examine the damage. At first sight of the injury, He immediately covered his mouth, while Matt gasped in shock and fear.

There was a large bruise on Near's side. It was colored in various shades ranging from reds, purples, and blues, but with the darkness of the cell, these colors weren't quite visible. What was, in fact visible, were the horrid cuts that were scattered all over his torso, some that were bleeding pretty badly. There were multiple other smaller bruises that were layered around the larger one, meaning he had probably received multiple direct hits in the same area. These bruises looked even more horrific on Near's pale and delicate complexion. Mello found himself wincing at how badly Near's whole body must be aching. If the bruise is this bad, then he could possibly have some sort of internal bleeding! With this much damage, he might really not make it out of here alive! Even Near didn't deserve this. He was pulled out of his thoughts suddenly when he heard the white haired boy say something.

"I-Is it r-really... that... bad?" The white haired boy mumbled breathily. Shoot, Mello thought. I must be acting really disturbed for him to say that. He's probably more scared than the both of us. Having these types of thoughts felt weird to Mello. He wasn't used to feeling concerned, especially not for someone he had always considered a rival. Someone that he was so sure that he hated. Mello sighed. What could he say to that? He glanced at the wound once again, wincing slightly at the horrid injury. It really was bad, but was it right for him to tell the younger boy. He should probably focus on making sure that Near didn't panic, but that would be a lot easier if Near was some ordinary kid. This was obviously not the case though as the white haired boy was brilliant. He was extraordinarily smart, as much as Mello hated to admit it. The blonde was half certain that Near already knew the extent of his situation right now, so feeding him some false facts wasn't really an option.

"Near… It's pretty bad, I- '' He was immediately cut off by Matt, who harshly nudged him in his side. Mello shot him a look, but immediately softened when he saw the seriousness in Matt's face. It was a look that was indirectly telling Mello that in a situation like this, they were to be reassuring Near rather than making him feel worse. Mello had never pinned himself as someone that was good at dealing with people, especially when they were hurt, so seeing that he didn't choose the correct thing to say, didn't really surprise him all that much. He decided to let Matt take over speaking, who chose his words carefully.

"Near, You're gonna be fine. We're gonna make sure to help you in any way possible until we get rescued." Near's breathing was getting more and more shallow by the second, his eyes seemed to be half lidded. He's probably exhausted. The wite haired boy winced after almost every breath, but didn't reply to Matt. His eyes began to slowly close. Is it even a good idea to let him sleep while he's in this condition? This was the question that crossed Mello's mind as he watched the scene in front of him unfold. He didn't like the feeling of helplessness that washed over him. He had no clue what to do, helping Near seemed to now be completely out of the question because they had nothing they could use to do so. No bandages, no medicine, no medical training whatsoever. They were just kids, shoved into this horrible problem with no hope for a solution. Mello cringed at the thought. He'd never thought about anything that way; he'd always known how to deal with every problem that came his way, but right now he didn't like how he felt so small.

"Mels…" Matt suddenly interrupted the blonde's thoughts, "I think he fell asleep." Mello refocused his vision on the youngest boy only to realize that Matt was right. Near had somehow managed to fall asleep, or faint. Really, whichever came first. What stood out to him though, was how his complexion looked completely ashen. He was too pale and looked almost… dead. It was a grim thought, but one that Mello couldn't help but conjure. The blonde reached forward, gently tugging Near's shirt back down so that his body was once again covered. A sudden thought crossed his mind and he almost kicked himself for not thinking of it before. Could Near… have a fever? That would explain the shivering, and considering the condition of the cell and what he'd just been through, it wasn't too much of a stretch to assume so. He didn't hesitate to reach his hand forward and place it onto the pale boy's forehead, noticing that it felt slightly warm. If he does have one, it luckily doesn't seem to be too high. It was a relief to find out that at least something wasn't as bad as it could have been. He glanced back at Matt who looked absolutely drained. He, unlike Mello, was used to maintaining at least a slightly normal sleeping schedule, so he wasn't accustomed to running on such little sleep for so much time. Mello sighed, knowing immediately what needed to be done.

"Matt, you should try and get some sleep… I'll watch over him if you're worried." He stated briskly. Matt's eyes widened when he heard what the blonde had just offered.

"Mels… I can't do that, you need sleep too-" Mello cut him off

"I'm not tired Matt, but I can tell that you obviously are." The blonde then sighed and continued in a softer tone "just get some rest, I'll watch over him." He could tell by the look on the brunette's face that he wanted to protest a bit more, but his exhaustion got the better of him and he slowly nodded. He laid down on the ground, curling up into a ball to preserve heat, and almost immediately fell asleep. Mello sighed. He really did feel like a big brother right now. Taking care of my two little bros, was what went through his mind suddenly. He immediately cringed at the thought. Matt as his brother was possible. Near, though? There was no way! He glanced back to Near with a look of contempt. The look was short lived though; it disappeared as soon as Mello's eyes landed on the white haired boy. He suddenly felt kind of bad seeing him hurt like this. It wasn't a feeling he could fully make sense of but perhaps it was the numbing thought of how easily he or Matt could be in Near's place. If the men had got too excited, they might have beat them all up for that matter. They were lucky to have avoided the same fate, and that alone was enough to make Mello grateful. Near didn't have anyone who could help him right now, so maybe, just this once, the blonde would keep watch over him. Either way, it was going to be a long night...

Author's Note:

This chapter was really hard to write and I'm not as proud of it as I would want to be, but I really hoped you all enjoyed it! I'll be making edits to my works as I see fit, but other than that I would really like to thank all my readers. As I said in the last chapter, If possible, I would really appreciate any reviews I can get because it encourages me to get back to work writing the next chapter. Special shout out to these three individuals who took time out of their lives to favorite my story!

aqua001823

Marisolscout

BloodyEmeraldRose

Thank you so much!

Bonus:

Mello: So... Since when do I care about the sheep?

Matt: since he got beat up and almost died...?

Mello: yeah, I guess I'm just doing everything out of pity. That makes more sense.

Near: *coughs painfully*

Mello: HEY, DON'T DIE ON ME NEAR. NOOOOO.

Matt: yes, out of pity I see

Mello: ...shut up Matt