A/N: Okay, I'm a dirty liar, I know. *dodges missiles and daggers*

I said I'd update in a few weeks, but weeks turned into months and… neh. Anyways, school's done for the year, but I'm going to be pretty busy this summer… next update will most likely come next month. But don't take my word on that… eh heh… Enjoy! This one is… important. Drama filled. Drop a review, please!

Flashback:

Matt's eyes widened and his gun fell to the floor with a clatter. He backed away from Kevin, his whole body shaking. "K-Kevin…!"

--

Kevin chuckled, "Nice to see you, too."

"Back off, asshole!" Mello yelled, charging the other blond.

In one fluid motion, Kevin picked up Matt's discarded weapon and aimed it at Mello's forehead, cocking it with a metallic click.

Mello froze, begrudgingly raising his arms above his head.

"Why are you here?" Matt asked in a small and somewhat shaking voice. Kevin turned on Matt and eyed him as if he were surprised, "Just to see you, of course, my pet." He answered sarcastically, moving in on the redhead.

Mello could only watch helplessly as his best friend was slowly being cornered by his childhood nightmare. He could only watch as the frightened redhead desperately searched for any kind of weapon just to come up empty-handed.

Kevin's gun was still trained on him, as if the man could see him perfectly, though his eyes were fixed on Matt.

"You and I – no; we all know why I'm here." Kevin murmured once he was within a few inches of the gamer, glancing at Mello mid-sentence.

Realization hit Matt like a train; Kevin had told Mello everything. About the drug dealing, the abuse, the rape – Kevin didn't want any witnesses. Therefore, Matt realized, they both shared the same fate today – death.

The redhead glanced at his partner, hoping he could see the unvoiced apology in his eyes. The apology for letting this happen - in the past and now, not being there and not being strong enough. The apology for getting him mixed up in his problems. The apology for what was going to inevitably happen.

Indeed, Mello saw his apologies, but he refused to accept them. He refused to let Matt and himself die like this.

As Kevin's back was turned, Mello slowly lowered his arm and fingered his cell phone in his pocked. He prayed to god he hit the right sequence of numbers correctly seeing as he hadn't taken the phone out to avoid being noticed.

Please, please get here… Before it's too late. He begged silently, returning to his previous raised-arm positing.

"So… who's first?" Kevin asked casually, as if talking to a friend over dinner.

Matt eyed Mello again with the same apologetic and sorrowful look, but this time with barely restrained tears on the brim of his emerald orbs. He looked down as they spilled, took a shaky breath, then looked up to face his fate.

"Me."

Kevin looked mildly surprised and shot a glance at him. After a few moments he broke into a twisted smile, "Oh, so that's what it is, Mail? You liked our little 'experiences' together, didn't you?

"You're gay for this little blond slut, aren't you? How bold of you to volunteer. But you wouldn't be able to handle watching you lover die, would you?" Kevin remarked wickedly, flicking his eyes between the two.

Matt remained silent, his eyes locked on the ground.

Kevin's fist flew and connected with Matt's temple, effectively breaking the redhead's goggle strap and sending them flying. "How about you look at me and answer, huh? You little shit!" Kevin yelled, throwing another punch that landed on Matt's cheekbone.

The redhead stumbled slightly and his back fell against the wall behind him; yet he refused to look up at his attacker.

Mello took a step towards them, intending to stop the next hit that Matt was surely going to receive, but Kevin whipped to face him.

"Take another step and you can say goodbye to the other half of your face."

Mello glanced at his partner, seeing Matt's silent plea for him to just stay put. Mello obliged, hoping Matt had some kind of plan that would get them both out alive; but knowing that Matt fully intended to stall Kevin and get himself killed – so Mello could escape with his life.

As always.

The blond realized then that he knew what it meant to be too loyal, too dedicated. But to him…?

"I suppose, for old time's sake, I'll take you up on your request, Mail." Matt squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the worst.

Mello's eyes widened as Kevin moved the gun away from him and towards Matt, all the while wondering why he had to watch his best friend die a bloody death, his best friend that was still so young and never quite had the chance to live his life to the fullest.

Mello reacted purely out of instinct, not quite knowing what had happened until he saw his own arm shoot out and knock the gun out of Kevin's hands, only to be sent sprawling to the floor by the force of the hit he took from Kevin's elbow.

"You little fucker!" Kevin screamed, closing in on Mello's crumpled form. The younger blond shielded his face with his hands, but never got the hit he expected.

He looked up to see Matt jump him from behind, his arms locking tightly around the man's neck. Kevin stumbled, getting dizzy from his deteriorating oxygen supply, but he rammed Matt's back against the wall.

The force of the hit knocked the wind out of the redhead, causing the grip he had on the other man to loosen considerably. Kevin slipped out of the hold and turned on the gamer.

Kevin pinned him there with is forearm pressed against the other's trachea. Matt let out a choked sob as he clawed desperately at the older blonde's arm.

Mello crawled over to the two and dove at Kevin's legs, but received a foot in his face instead of getting Kevin to fall to the floor. The younger blond slid a few feet, and looked up to see Matt deliver a sound punch to Kevin's stomach.

Kevin backed up and covered where he was hit with one arm, blocking another one of Matt's punches with the other.

The intruder delivered a punch of his own to Matt's ribs, causing the redhead to double over. Kevin grabbed a fistful of Matt's hair and yanked his head up to face him.

"Now you will die." He breathed, pulling a knife from his jacket.

The redhead cried out as the knife was plunged deep into his abdomen - then ripped back out. His face paled and he slid to the ground, a crimson stain growing and seeping through his striped shirt.

Mello stared wide-eyes and screamed in disbelief, praying this was all a nightmare or that this wasn't his life, but Kevin came towards him with a sadistic smirk and a knife covered in Matt's blood.

"Your turn."

The world was blurry from Mello's tear-filled eyes, but he heard the door fly open and his mafia agents come in yelling and shooting.

Seeing he was outnumbered, Kevin fled the scene by breaking through the nearest window and down the fire escape.

Mello hurried over to Matt's side, screaming at his men for responding to the call too late.

"Matt! Matt, please, wake up! Matt!!" The blond screamed, hardly acknowledging the hot tears streaming down his face as he stared at the motionless form of his partner.

As the pool of blood beneath them grew, Mello feared he might be too late; that there weren't going to be any miracles this time to save Matt's life, and that this time he really would lose the redhead forever.