Chapter fourteen:

"What up?" Mello asks as Near comes back to Earth as he speaks quiet enough so the cameras can't hear.

"Right now we need to wait." Near responds as quietly as Mello spoke. "Right now we can't really do anything. We don't have a good enough map and if we try to escape now we'll get killed."

Mello goes over and leans against the wall sliding down to sit next to Near. "I'm getting tired of waiting." He groans.

"I know." Near mummers quietly and looks away.

Mello blinks and as he blinks he looks to the other.

Near isn't looking at him.

Mello slightly moves away from the wall as he turns his head to look to Near. He opens his mouth to say something but is unsure what to say so he glances away to the door to their cell. "I guess we all are."

No response.

Mello blinks and worriedly looks to Near again.

Near hasn't looked at him.

Mello's face turns to worry. "Hey what's wrong?" He asks still being quiet enough for the cameras to not hear.

Near blinks then turns to Mello only for a few seconds before turning away. "Nothing important."

Mello frowns. "Bullshit." He growls.

Near's eyes flicker to Mello.

Mello is staring back at him with intensity.

Near sighs and turns his head towards the door but is looking down. "I was just thinking about the past." He lets the other know.

"The past is in the past." Mello says turning to the door as they continue to speak low enough that the cameras don't pick up on it.

"But it sometimes comes back to remind you it's still there." Near responds almost sighing.

Mello looks back to Near.

Near is being more human than he has ever before as far as Mello knows.

"Near…." Mello begins feeling a little speechless. "You're more human than I have ever seen you."

Near blinks then turns to Mello.

Mello stares back in Near's eyes. He then smiles after a few moments. "I kind of like it." He says. "But it'd be better if it wasn't so down."

Near blinks not expecting that. "I just never let myself show it in the orphanage before." He says looking away.

Mello's face falls. "Why?"

"Because if I did it would only evoke more bad reactions I wanted to avoid." Near explains.

"So you're scared to show the human you." Mello says.

Near won't look at Mello as he remains silent for a few moments. "I was scared of the negative effect it would have."

Mello blinks as he listens.

"The bullying would be worse if they ever knew I actually felt things….. I f they knew I was more than human than they thought." Near explains.

Mello shifts and suddenly brings Near into his arms. "Well it's ok. We are all in this together. It's ok to let yourself go."

Near is a little surprised but he relaxes knowing that because of where they are they have become closer. He buries his face into Mello's shoulder letting the other hold him.

Mello holds Near for a bit and is surprised when the boy starts almost silently sobbing though like the two's conversation it's too quiet for the cameras to hear. He turns his head as best he can to look to Near. His face changes to sympathetic.

After all it's probably the first time in who knows how long since Near has been able to let his human side out or even being able to cry.

He strokes Near's back with one hand and plays with the soft white strands of Near's hair. "It's ok." He sooths. "Let it out."

Near keeps his sobs very quiet.

Mello continues to hold the other letting him be human as he whispers soothing words to the other until Near starts to calm down. "Feel better?" He asks.

Near nods and pulls away enough so they can see each other's faces. He wipes his eyes slightly sniffling.

Mello raises a hand and gently rubs the top of Near's head.

"Thank you Mello." Near says. "I've never had someone who cared face to face ever since A and BB died." He explains.

"What about your siblings?" Mello asks.

Near takes a slightly deep breath. "I haven't been able to see them face to face for quite a long time because well Whammy's isn't really open to the world and it was safer." He explains. "I mean I know that I can talk to them but it's been ages since I've had someone care face to face."

"Safer from what?" Mello asks.

Near sighs softly. "The people who destroyed our hometown."

…

"We've narrowed it down to four buildings." One of the Shadows members says. "Ones that have a field and a forest close by."

Rai looks thoughtful. "Alright are they all abandoned or owned?"

"Fifty fifty. Two owned and two abandoned." The Shadow member explains.

"Hm." Rai hums softly in thought. "Now it comes down to which one is most likely to hold them."

"The abandoned one?" Silver offers.

"But what if they were expecting us to think that and put them in an owned one." Rai says. "Or they would have thought of that and went for an abandoned one."

Silver hums in thought. "True. So it's really unable to tell for sure."

"I don't want to risk splitting up. We don't know how many there are and what kind of weapons they'll use against us." Rai says. "We cannot cause a risk to ourselves since then we won't be any help."

Silver nods as he brings a hand to his chin in thought.

…..

Near brought a hand to his chin as if thinking. "How do I put this in shorter terms? It's a long story." He says.

Mello opens his mouth about to say that he doesn't have to share if he doesn't want to.

"Well you see…" Near begins but is stopped.

Mello had put a finger on Near's lips making the others hand fall from his chin. "You don't have to force yourself." He says. "Do you really want to tell me what happened? I don't want you to force yourself."

Near blinks then brings a hand to gently remove Mello's hand. "It's ok." He assures the other.