A/N: Okay guys, I have really great news. *Insert drumroll* I gots a BETA! :D NightRoseK! She is awesome and was very quick with editing this, I must say. ;} So, you all can thank her if you no longer see my annoying spelling errors. XP And thanks for the reviews guys, really! They make me so happy! Poor annoynomous reviewers, though. I can't reply back to them... :{ So please read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 9: Tantrum

It was midnight and Mello sat on the floor, leaning his back against his bed with his legs crossed. Everything Near said earlier to him ran through his head as he sat there, holding the lighter, and sparking the fire to life. He wasn't psychotic, he wasn't a murderer. His parents had deserved everything that had happened to them. They'd deserved to die.

"We have to stop them. We have to get them some kind of help. I don't know what's wrong with them, but they're crazy," a woman's soft but stressed voice stated.

"They're not crazy. They're just kids," the man's scratchier voice answered.

"Kids don't obsess over everything being in perfect order and being perfect to the greatest intensity like Nate does. Kids don't go around hurting themselves intentionally and getting angry at the smallest things like Mihael does," the woman retaliated.

"Yeah, well most kids weren't born with white hair and a girly form."

"She hates us, you know," Nate told Mihael.

"Of course I know that. Of course she hates us. I mean we're only the smartest kids I know. Of course she's going to be scared and hate us," Mihael angrily whispered back to Nate.

"And he doesn't even want to be here. You know that he is going to leave soon, for someone else? I saw her. She's pretty," Nate asked.

"Of course I know. I'm not an idiot, so stop talking to me like I am," Mihael ordered.

"Could have fooled me." Mihael threw a punch at Nate and knocked the six year old onto his butt, Nate's toy robot he was previously holding fell away from him.

"Fine. If you think like that, Nate, then you can stay here. I'm running away, and I was going to bring you because not even you deserve to live here, but it's fine if you think I'm so stupid," Mihael stated, walking to their window. Lucky for them, their room was on the bottom floor.

"But no one deserves to live here. If we leave another child will just be forced to go through what we did," Nate explained, grabbing his robot and following Mihael.

"Then we'll get rid of them. We'll trap them here, forever," Mihael said once they were outside.

"How? By lighting the house on fire or something?" Nate asked, sarcastically. Mihael grew a grin at the statement. "You can't be serious."

"It was your idea." And with that Mihael climbed back into the window to find a way to start the fire.

"It was your idea," Mihael whispered, looking at the lighter that was no longer lit. "It was your fucking idea and you call me the psychotic one. It's your fault! Yours! I just did the dirty work!"

Mello started to furiously flick the lighter, trying to make the fire come back. Finally the fire came back again and his eyes glared with hate.

"It was your idea and you blame me. You say it was my fault and..!" Mello trailed off, thinking to himself.

Maybe it was his fault. Maybe he was wrong. Did he sin?

"Yes. I did wrong by following the devil. I did wrong by following Near," Mello whispered aloud.

He did wrong, he sinned, and he should pay the price. He should atone for his sins.

"Our farther, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. On Earth, as it is in Heaven, forgive us our day, our daily bread. And forgive us our trespassing." Mello gritted his teeth as he brought the flame onto his cheek, letting the heat burn his skin. Thinking about Near and feeling hate. "As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into..." Mello grunted against the pain, smiling as it surely started leaving its mark against his skin. "... temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen."

Finally he couldn't help it. He let out a blood curdling scream.

--

"Mello got a hold of Matt's lighter again, and decided to burn his face. He now has a scar that will most likely be permanent," L explained to Light, sitting himself next to Light on his bed. He looked at Light's lap to see his notebook there and Light currently writing in it.

"Curious?" Light asked with a smirk. L nodded, trying to read the book. But unfortunately for him, Light closed it. "Too bad, it's private."

"I thought relationships didn't have any secrets." L almost pouted. Almost.

"Well, it might have secrets, it might not. You're just funny when you're curious." Light smiled at L who finally gave in and pouted.

"You're mean." L stated.

"No, if I was mean, I would do this." With those words Light pushed L onto his back, straddling him. L laughed slightly, trying to keep a serious face, which was usually easy for him. But everything like that changed when it came to Light.

"This is not nearly as mean." L said.

"L... There is something I want to ask you, something that has been really irritating me..." Light started, his eyes locking with L's before he continued. "How is it that... How is it that you're so willing? I mean, after everything you went through with Beyond, how can you really do this without feeling scared?"

"It's difficult to explain..." L trailed off, his hand reaching to hold Light's cheek. "I am still scared- or uncomfortable, for use of a better word- over intimate things. There is a comfort that I can find with you, though, Light... I look into your eyes and see nothing but truthful love and compassion. When I look into Beyond's eyes I see nothing but hate and jealousy, no matter how much he says he loves me. His eyes will always burn red with hate. And yours will always shine gold with love."

Light smiled, leaned down and lightly kissed L on the lips.

"My eyes, huh? I'll be sure to use them more often then," Light replied.

"Now, if you don't mind Light-kun, I have a question for you as well," L started, looking at Light's eyes with a different look, one far from caring. "How did you know about what happened with Beyond and I?"

Light opened his mouth and then shut it again. He truly did not want to keep secrets from L, but what would Mello do if he found out?

"Under the circumstances of wanting to live, I can not tell you that answer," Light explained.

"So it was Mello," L concluded.

"You came to the answer, I didn't say anything if he asks." Light smiled. L rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of Mello, when is he coming back?" Light asked.

"Tonight. Near seemed fairly upset over the situation," L stated, causing Light to raise an eyebrow.

"Near? Don't he and Mello and hate each other?" Light asked.

"Light, they're brothers, of course they are going to act rude to each other, but that's just their way. Mello is really actually protective of Near and Near is caring for Mello. Near is talking to Watari about the situation," L explained.

"So, why do you think Mello did what he did?" Light wondered, rolling off L and lying next to the other, holding L in his arms.

"He said he had to atone for his sins. He needed to be punished," L replied, both of them looking at the ceiling.

"Is that what it's like to be crazy?"

"No. That's what it's like to be Mello. Truthfully, Light, I think we are all crazy in our own ways, even people that are not in asylums. Some just get tired of pretending to be normal," L stated.

"Do you wish you were normal?" Light asked, holding L tighter.

"No. Even if that meant no more fear, and being free, I like me for who I am, not who I'm supposed to be," L explained. "What about you?"

"I used to think happiness was when people accepted you. I was the most popular guy in school, I was so attractive I attracted people of both sexes to me, I had the best grades in the history of my school, and I was athletic," Light stated. "The problem was, nothing I did ever made me smile, and the more I stood out, the more pressure was put onto me. I thought I was happy, but then Misa forced me to be her boyfriend and I just started feeling worse. So, when we had sex it... it felt so good. It made me feel good for the first time in ages, so that I just wanted to keep doing it again and again. It was like an all time high..."

Light paused for a moment.

"But being here, and being with you has never made me feel happier," Light said, looking down to L who looked back with shocked eyes. "I love you, L."

"I-I love you too, Light." And they shared a small kiss.

The door opened and Matt walked in to see the two of them kissing but quickly pull apart.

"Well, I was doing rounds to see if everyone is okay, but you two seem more than okay," Matt stated with a smirk. Light glared and threw a pillow at him. Matt laughed. "Just remember, I'll be back in ten minutes. I don't want to walk in on anything traumatizing."

Matt closed the door laughing.

--

Mello walked back to Wammy's, the police officer never letting go of his arm, holding an ice pack to his face. The ice hurt more than the scar. It was there and reminding him that he was still alive in the shit hole they called Earth. Once he got inside he walked towards Near's room. It was Near's turn to be punished. Near's turn to pay. But how?

Then he heard it. A scream unlike any he had ever heard before as he passed Roger's empty desk. He turned around to see Near yelling and screaming at Watari, who held the young boy in a tight grip as the albino struggled to get free. Mello found himself dumbstruck. He never saw Near scream, never saw him fight, never saw him cry... Quickly he found himself running over to them.

"Shut up! You're lying! I'm not a Narcissist! I do care! I do! Shut up!" Near yelled, fighting through his tears.

"What are you doing to him?! What did you do?!" Mello asked, anger evident in the icy blue eyes. The anger no longer pointed at Near but Watari and Roger.

"I simply told him about his Narcissism growing." Watari tried to explain, practically carrying Near down the halls. Mello went to grab Near, but Roger stopped him.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Mello ordered, fighting to get past Roger.

"We need to put him in the back room and keep him locked there until he is done having his temper tantrum," Roger stated as Watari forced Near into the room and locked the door from the outside. Finally, Mello was allowed to rush to the door, looking through the small window on the door that would only show his eyes. Near was banging on the door, crying.

"I care! I care!" Mello heard him scream.

"It's going to be okay Near! I promise, you'll be fine. You just have to calm down," Mello instructed. Light and L walked out of their room then, looking down at the sight.

"No! It won't be okay! It will never be okay! I'll never be okay!" Near screamed at the top of his lungs, still banging on the door.

"Dammit," Mello whispered to himself, kicking the nearby wall as L and Light walked to him. "What do I do?"

"I have an idea," Light stated. "Wait here."

Light ran down the hall and to the room he'd first met Near in. The cage with all of the toys was still securely locked. Light kicked a table's leg and broke the chain off with it, opening the cage door. He grabbed an armful of toys and raced down the hall, back to Mello and L. He placed the toys down and took the toy robot and held it to the glass.

"Look Near. I'm Kira, the evil robot. I am going to re-organize this world by getting rid of all the criminals. The world will become pure, and I will become God," Light said, moving the toy around. L grabbed a hand puppet and held it next to Light's robot for Near to see.

"And I'm L the detective. I'm here to stop Kira from killing criminals because I believe that everyone has the right to live for as long as they should. Good or evil. Free or in jail," L explained moving his around. Mello grabbed a scary looking action figure that was a monster of some kind, and held it to the window.

"I'm the Shinigami Ryuk, who helps Kira kill the criminals, and I love apples!" Mello yelled, smirking.

"..." Near stopped banging the door and they all wished they could see how the young albino looked. "Apples?"

"Yeah, apples." Mello smiled, relieved.

Matt walked down the hallway at that point, freezing when he saw them.

"How did you get those toys? What are you guys doing? You should be in your rooms. It's time to sleep." Matt started panicking. Mello grabbed him and pulled him close.

"It's okay, just calm down."

"You're going to get me fired."

"Shh, come play."

"I'm so dead..."

Mello smirked and kissed Matt, and Matt kissed back this time. What did it matter? He was surely going to get fired anyway.