A/N: HOLY ALMOST TWO YEARS SINCE AN UPDATE! Believe me, I've been totally lost as to what direction to take things. So I decided to move into a new branch for a while, and build on my new lead for a while. No doubt you'll be a little confused but I actually have a new direction. I've been very busy with work and college before that, and now I also write a food blog. I can't promise FREQUENT updates but no more two year gaps!

Blood and Sugar

PART 5

Chapter XXV: Dreams

3 Years Later

Sawyer Lee Fennely

At a higher altitude with flag unfurled, we reached the dizzy heights of the dreamed-up world...

I remember as I ran, I followed the river through endless fields. As I looked over my shoulder, tears streaming down my bloodstained face, looking upon the burning mansion behind me. The end of Whammy's House.

As the men with the guns broke through the house room by room, Teddy and I hid under the floorboards of our room. Fear consumed our bodies, and it took all the efforts we had to control our trembling. We looked up at their feet and we could also peer into the barrels of their guns. They were aimed at us. Immediately I began to crawl away desperately toward the tunnel in the corner of the room . I looked back once to see that Teddy was still lying still. And the floor exploded as gunfire erupted. Blood flew everywhere, shreds of clothing and tissue were strewn everywhere.

In a state of pure terror I clawed my way into the escape tunnel and kept digging until I saw the trap door leading to the outside. I broke through into the cool night. I look around me, there was nobody. I ran, flailing myself wildly, screaming. Everybody I had known had just been murdered. Every brilliant mind, every voice had been silenced all at once. What had happened?

There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps, running before time took our dreams away.

I opened my eyes to a silent morning in the tiny London apartment. I was curled up on the dingy couch. I looked over at the chair Thrace was fast asleep on. He was tall and thin, very handsome. His brown hair was usually a little messy. Despite us being badly impoverished, he was always well-dressed. I looked over into the other corner of the room. Caroline was splayed out asleep on the mattress.

I remember stumbling into the city after running for two days. Thrace found me, huddled under in an alley near a Chinese restaurant. He told me to come home with him. He told me that he and Caroline were wanderers, orphaned like I was. They made money pan-handling and pick-pocketing. It wasn't any kind of existence I wanted, but it was the only one I could find. I belonged somewhere now.

I lifted myself from the couch and walked into the tiny bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was thin, my reddish-blonde hair a mess. I brushed through it with my fingers to make it look a little better. I stepped back out and walked to the front door. I stepped out onto the porch and picked up the Newspaper. I read the headline:

"Mass Killing of Elderly Men and Women Baffle Police; Some Suspect Kira"

Indeed, the word was going around about the old and very ill passing away of cardiac arrest much like criminals did. Many people think these were mercy killings. Thrace seemed to think so. He was very opinionated about Kira, he was an avid supporter. It wasn't particularly abnormal, I found out. From the time I was pre-teen, I was taught Kira was evil and had to be brought to justice. But suddenly Kira disappeared, and so did L for a while.

I had my own theories about L. I believed the original L was dead or retired, because honestly, the newest L sounded like a woman. I had never met L. I was only trained to be his successor. I was only surpassed by Near now, as Matt was dead and Mello probably was too. The only thing I wanted to do was find Near.

I heard footsteps on the sidewalk. I looked up. I saw Nathaniel walking down the street. He nodded hello to me. He was tall, with shoulder length blonde hair. He had the most mesmerizing eyes. We had spoken a couple of times. As far as I knew, he lived down the way a couple of blocks. I felt a gentle breeze brush me as he passed by.

"Quit with the goo-goo eyes," I heard a voice behind me.

I looked behind me. It was Thrace.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said.

"Stay away from him," he warned. "He's trouble."

"I think I can make my own decisions," I said. He grabbed my chin gruffly and made me look at him.

"Don't forget I rescued you from that gutter," He said. "Don't make me send you back."

Though Thrace had saved my life, he was endlessly controlling. If ever I wanted to do something against his wishes, he would threaten to put me back out. I didn't have anywhere else to go. He let go of me and went back inside. I followed suit and saw Caroline sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of black coffee. I knew very little about Caroline. Thrace retreated into the bathroom to take a shower and I sat down next to her.

"Thrace caught you ogling your boyfriend, then?" She teased.

"You have to admit, Nathaniel's hot," I said smiling.

"He isn't to me," she said. "He looks like a guy I used to know."

"Who?" I teased. "Your ex-boyfriend?"

"No," she said. "This boy I was in a foster home with. He pretty much saved my life one time."

"Aww," I said. "What happened to him?"

"Dunno," she said. "I ran away and was eventually put into another home."

"What was his name?" I asked.

"Mihael, but our foster parents decided to make it more normal sounding. We called him Michael or Mike."

"Cool beans," I said. "Maybe you'll find him some day?"

"Maybe," she said, looking down at her feet. Her long, dark brown hair fell over her face.

"I'm gonna go find us some breakfast," she said. She got up, slid on her torn jeans and smoothed out her wrinkled t-shirt. She walked out of the front door and I was alone. I took my opportunity and slid out of the door and down the street. I found Nathaniel's house and knocked roughly on the door.

"Who is it?" came his voice from inside.

"It's Sawyer," I said.

I heard the click of locks being undone and the door opened. I stepped inside the house. It was dimly lit and also very small. The walls were lined with records from various classic rock bands. I took a seat a chair in the middle of the room.

"So tell me, miss Sawyer," he said. "How did you come to live with asshole Thrace?"

"Asshole Thrace rescued me off the streets," I said. "Although I'll admit he is an asshole."

"Well that's all well and good, but how did you end up on the streets, because you look like you weren't there very long."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said.

"Try me," he said.

"Okay," I smiled jokingly. "I belonged to an orphanage of super smart children and a few weeks ago some armed men broke the doors down and came in and shot everybody. I got away and ran all the way into the city where Thrace found me. Now I'm trying to find this guy named Near who used to live with me at the orphanage. So believable, huh?"

He looked at me very seriously. "Is everything you told me true?" he said.

"Yeah, why?" I said.

"What if I told you I could get you to Near?"

"I'd say you were batshit insane."

"Wanna hear something crazy from me?" he said. "I'm a genetically engineered intellectual super solider created by Near."

I looked at him and waited for him to laugh. He looked at me as serious as a heart attack.

"What the fuck man?" I said. "That's crazy. You're crazy." I got up to leave in a flurry of discomfort.

"Near is around 5'7" he said. "He's albino and has a preoccupation with toys and puzzles. He's cold and methodical. He would be in his early twenties now."

I stopped cold. I looked back at him. He just described Near to the last detail.

"How do you know Near?" I said.

"I just told you."

"Can you take me to him?"

"Yes, I can, I just told you."

"Well what the fuck? Let's get the fuck out of dodge! I'll tell Thrace and Caroline I'm leaving and I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail!"

"Okay, Eager Beaver," he said.

He flew out of the door and down the street back to Thrace's house. I walked inside and saw Caroline again sitting on the couch, and Thrace standing in the back corner.

"I have something to tell you guys," I said nervously.

"You're gay?" Caroline said jokingly.

"Yeah, but that's not the important thing," I smiled teasingly. "I found somebody who knows Near, he could take me to him."

"Shit," Caroline said. "You're leaving us? Well dude, it's been real..-"

"Wait," Thrace said. "You're taking off with Nathaniel to seek out some guy you used to know who you're not sure even exists?"

My mind started racing. How did he know who I was leaving with?

"I'm for sure he knows Near," I said. "He could describe him with extreme detail."

"How do you know he didn't hear you talking about him to us?"

"He knows things I never told you," I said. "Like, I never told Near was albino."

"You leaving here with him," Thrace said, "is absolutely out of the question."

I backed away toward the door. "I'm eighteen," I said.

"I can leave if I want to."

Thrace began to approach me. A chord of fear struck and I bolted. I made it halfway down the street when I felt a hand catch my arm. I tumbled to the ground. I looked up to see a visibly angry Thrace looking down at me.

"I told you Sawyer," he growled. "You're not going anywhere."

"Back the fuck off, Thrace," I heard a male voice call. I looked up to see Nathaniel standing on the opposite side of me. I got up and stepped behind him.

"You're becoming a pain in my side," Thrace said. "Still delusional with your little theories."

"I'm just trying to prove what we all know," Nathaniel said.

"Believe what you want to believe," Thrace said. He seemed to get visibly calm, almost cocky. "Go ahead and take the girl. If she's too stupid to accept my guidance and wants to go chasing false hope, that's not my problem."

Thrace turned and left back down the street.

"Sawyer," Nathaniel said to me. "Does he know your full name, by any chance?"

"No," I said. "Why? And what was all that about proving what everybody knows?"

"Don't worry about it," he said. "We just have a long standing rivalry, that's all."

We turned away and started down the street. I waited outside as Nathaniel went back inside his house and collected a bag together. I got into the passenger seat of his car. He climbed into the driver's seat. As he started the engine, there was a knock on my window. I turned and looked to see Caroline standing outside the car. I rolled down the window.

"Take me with you," she insisted.

"What?" I said.

"Just take me with you," she said. "I just...I have this feeling. Just take me with you guys, please."

I looked over at Nathaniel. He stared at her face with intense concentration.

"Okay," he said.

She climbed in the backseat. I was completely confused. Why did he willing allow Caroline to come along? And I still didn't understand how he knew Near, or why he had a long standing rivalry with Thrace. I just had a feeling that everything was connected.