"You're lucky I came along when I did." The man known as Aiber laughed. He seemed nice enough, but Mello didn't trust him. He seemed to be the kind of guy who made you wanna keep your eyes glued to him. "You're friend and you are both lucky. I thought you two were cannibals, but then when you, ya know, shot me I figured differently. None of the cannibal freaks around here use a gun as a weapon. Arrows, rocks, slingshots, spears, pikes, clubs and maybe, sometimes, a length of chain, but never have I seen one of them use a gun."

"Yeah, well, what's your story?" Mello asked as he stared at the burning fire. Near stirred slightly beside him. Mello pulled him further onto his lap and let his wounded arm rest lightly on his small body. "What happened to you?" he asked looking to Aiber with narrowed blue eyes that were lit up by the dim orange glow of the fire.

Aiber shrugged. "You tell me what happened to you first."

"Ignored the ribbons or whatever. Got lost. Found mutilated corpses. Met Near, here, let him tag along with my friend Matt and me. Stuff happened and my buddy Matt got skewered. Not much to tell."

"Yeah I hear ya." Aiber nodded. "My friends were killed too, but ya wanna know something?"

Mello didn't respond. He concentrated on Near's tranquil face and soft breathing.

"Do you?" Aiber asked again. "Do you wanna know something I know?"

"Why not? Tell me."

"Those ribbons, you know the ones, they were taken down by some of these cannibals. I think it's so we'd get lost purposely and they'd be free to eat us up. But you and me, we're survivors and won't be so easy to eat, ya know? The crazed rabid ones took those ribbons down and started to get rid of them or wear them. That way prey comes to them more often. And those corpses, those that you found, they were leftovers. I found the pile once as well and just about puked my guts out."

Mello chuckled. It was bitter laughter as he recalled how Matt had puked. He felt Near shift slightly and looked down at the small boy. He'd been bandaged and had all of the bullets removed from his body. As Aiber had said he was lucky that they didn't puncture any of his organs. He was indeed lucky.

No, Mello thought with a small smirk, he's just a survivor. He's tougher than he looks.

"So are you and he…homos…dating?"

Mello blushed a bright red. "No!" he spat. "No! No! No! I do not love him! He's a little annoying snot! He's just a little burden and that's it! I only put up with him because I need company or I would suffer the loss of my mind!" he snapped. He didn't trust Aiber one bit. Mello was afraid to tell him what he and Near's relationship really was. He didn't dare say that Near was one of the most precious people in his life or that without the small boy he'd be one of the most lonely people in the entire world, no, the entire universe.

Aiber who had been smirking snidely, but he suddenly stopped smirking and just shrugged. Aiber yawned and laid back against the stone floor of the cave, which Mello and Near had shown him to after he decided to help them. Mello felt safer there then he did anywhere else so he laid back and also fell asleep. It didn't take long since he was so tired.

Near, however, had been awake, feigning sleep ever since he'd been patched up, because he didn't trust Aiber either. He sat up as soon as Mello was sound asleep and he felt heartbroken. Mello didn't really care about him. Mello was just using him and that was it. He got up and decided to relieve Mello of his 'burden'.

He padded off into the night.

As Near ran blindly through the woods he was unaware that he was being watched. Red eyes watched as he ran through the darkness. Beyond smirked as he began to follow his prey. He knew that the boy would have to stop sooner or later and the timing was perfect since it was dark out and there were no witnesses that he'd have to kill. Beyond licked his lips as he watched Near stumble then fall to the ground. The boy cried out in pain as his wounds made contact with small rocks and twigs. His wounds were very sore to the touch.

He lay there helplessly for several minutes.

When he tried to get up he was forced back down when a foot slammed down into the center of his back. He cried out loudly. B was amused. He stomped down on the younger male's torso repeatedly enjoying the cried which ripped from Near's mouth. Beyond soon grew bored with doing this. It wasn't as entertaining as what else he had in mind.

Landing a hard kick to Near's throat he winded the boy, as he struggled for breath BB wrapped his hands around Near's throat and squeezed as hard as he could. There was a very brief struggle, and then Near was unconscious. He lifted the small bundle of white up and carried him off to a secluded area where he was sure nobody would find them. Everything in that area was so quiet and still that it even gave Beyond chills.

Dead trees lay about and a few dead shrubs lay about. He knew where there was a cave in the ground big enough for several people to fit in. It was hidden by dead logs, which were placed carefully in front of it. He removed them and then replaced them, being careful as not to make his whereabouts noticeable. Once he was in the dead end of the cave he stopped and waited for his victim to awaken.

As soon as he did, then Beyond planned on letting the fun start.

Elsewhere, Mello stirred realizing that Near wasn't there. He sat upright and was stunned to find the boy had completely vanished. He was worried. Near was his responsibility and he didn't think that he'd be able to forgive himself if anything happened to him. Worried the blonde left the sleeping Aiber to go find Near.

Please, please, don't be dead. He silently pled to God. Please protect him.

Back in the cave Near had awoken terrified to find his wrists and ankles were bound by some strong vines. His dark innocent eyes filled with fear when they landed on Beyond Birthday who was bloody and smirking evilly at him. Near shuddered sure that he was about to die. Beyond was cruel, and he knew it, and he didn't have a problem with killing innocents, and he especially had no problems with killing children, so he was surely about to die. Near whimpered as he struggled against his bonds.

B laughed.

It was inhuman laughter.

Yes, this was going to be fun indeed. Near struggled and whimpered, squirming despite the fact he knew he wasn't going to get away. It was just a natural human response to being tied up and faced with a crazed psycho like Beyond Birthday. Near didn't have time to scream when the man jumped on top of him and unbuttoned his shirt. It was unexpected. He gasped when he felt someone bite deep into his throat. Blood seeped up but it was only a small amount, thankfully, not enough to mean he was going to die. B snickered as he licked all of the blood up. The younger male gasped when he felt a cold hand press down on one of his wounds. It was a very uncomfortable and painful feeling.

After pressing down on the wounds one by one B grabbed a handful of dirt and rubbed it into the pale boy's wounds, which weren't bandaged and still terribly sore. Near wailed loudly as the dirt and pebbles stung his wounds and made them reopen. Blood oozed out as he continued to squirm beneath the stronger male.

Near screamed as something sank into his back. It was sharp and cut through his flesh like it were paper. He wailed loudly as he felt B pull away from him. Breathing through his mouth he felt B stroke the wound and then stick his fingers into it. Beyond gawked with a wicked smile as he felt the small boy's spine. He didn't damage it because he found the small mewls of agony Near made to be more entertaining. B laughed his inhuman laugh and touched the boy's spine again. Near's face contorted with pain as he mewled weakly whilst B grabbed a small stick and poked it inside the small boy's wound. He moved it about making Near wail out in pain.

He cackled as Near's fingers clawed into the dirt and rock.

The boy closed his eyes as tight as he could. He screeched when he felt B claw at his sides and then yank his head back. The red-eyed cannibal laughed seeing how distressed the weakened, wounded boy was. Beyond then looked over at some tools that had been discarded. He found a small, filthy first aid kit. It had all the things he needed to continue this torture. Beyond pulled a needle out and threaded it. Near watched panting heavily.

"N-no…p-please…." he whimpered hoping it would delay what BB had in mind, but it didn't. Beyond started to sew the small boy up enjoying all the noises Near made. Tears wetted the cave floor as Near sobbed and cried from the immense pain.

The red-eyed raven grinned once he finished his amateur surgical procedure, which was better than he thought it'd be. Near's back was completely, neatly stitched. And he thought it was going to be a hard task. He giggled quietly to himself. After regaining his composure Beyond flipped the boy over. Beyond caressed the boy's torso as he studied Near's stomach getting a really sick idea.

He chuckled cruelly as he pulled a small, sharp looking knife from the kit. He licked his lips as he began to cut into the small boy's soft belly. B ignored the blood when it spurted out onto him and drizzled onto the cave floor. He ignored Near as he attempted to shove him away and as he struggled weakly, but gave up once Beyond started to cut around his belly button.

The pain was horrible.

He gasped as he looked at his stomach. It was being brutally cut open, bits of flesh were lying off to the side and blood gushed out forming a puddle on the floor. Beyond chuckled callously watching as Near paled worse than what he already was. Before he left the small boy BB sewed his lips shut, stabbed him several times, teased his bullet wounds some, bit him so much that his limbs were covered by bleeding bite marks, and molested the poor albino who was close to death.

When he was finished he left poor Near to die.

However, what he didn't know was that someone was watching him as he left. Someone who wore bandages around their face only letting their eyes be uncovered and had a filthy white t-shirt with ripped up jeans and messy black hair. He glared at the young man as he left laughing in a sickly sweet way.

He had a bad feeling about that.

Hurrying down the tree he hid in he went into the cave. The first thing he smelt was blood and the scent of death. He was truly shocked when he found Near's mutilated body. He was just barely breathing and messily stitched up. "Damn him." He mumbled as he gently picked the boy up and left the cavern.

"You're in safe hands now." He whispered to the comatose albino. "You're safe." He promised. Near groaned as they neared a trio of which all three people were at the age of twelve. "What happened to him? L?" a girl asked shaking with fear. "Why is he so hurt?"

"BB." L said enigmatically, forebodingly.

It was L had to say.

The three children shuddered as they brought out their bows and arrows guarding the raven as he carried Near. Unknown to them Mello saw them and saw the wounded Near and felt panic tighten his chest.

What am I to do? He wondered despairingly. Ultimately he decided to follow. He had no weapons but maybe, if he was lucky, he could follow them to their hideout and try to save Near, or he could finish the poor thing off and die of his own accord. It sounded better than anything else that crossed his distressed mind at the moment.

Is Near's life worth risking my life? He wondered as he begun to follow feeling dread wash over him.