Disclaimer - I do not own DGM nor any of the characters.

Warning: More scenes of child abuse in this chapter, more graphic this time. Guess I'll go ahead and warn you now that this is going to be an on-going theme in this story so keep that in mind.

Chapter Three - Like a Ghost

The sun had barely risen, casting a vague light throughout the house, when Mana quietly opened the door of Neah's room. He always checked on his baby brother before leaving for school and he was more concerned than usual about the child since he was injured. His eyes sought out Neah and he saw that the little boy was thrashing around in his sleep, moaning softly. Deducing that Neah was having another one of his nightmares the elder brother quickly crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Reaching out Mana gently touched the younger boy's shoulder, causing Neah's eyes to pop open instantly. A little gasp of horror escaped the boy's lips before the child realized that it was only his brother.

His gray eyes held a look of terror before Neah made this realization and this fact caused Mana to feel guilty.

"I'm sorry Neah," Mana said, reaching out so that he could run his hand through his brother's mahogany hair. He should have expected such a reaction from the child and made an attempt to wake him using his voice but to be honest the thought had never even occured to him. His only thought had been to reach the little boy and awaken him from the nightmare that was obviously traumatizing him as soon as possible. The consequences of his chosen method had never even crossed his mind. "I didn't mean to frighten you. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Okay," Neah replied in a soft voice, pushing himself to a sitting position with his good arm. The child's left arm remained in a sling, still somewhat stiff and difficult to move but he was accustomed to injuries and didn't really pay any attention to it. Pain was pretty much a constant in his life; not exactly something that the child was happy about but never the less something that he viewed as par for the course.

"Do you need some medicine for the pain?" Mana questioned, recalling that he still had a couple of the packets that the doctor had given to him after treating Neah.

The little boy immediately shook his head, making a face at the mere mention of the medicine. It was quite bitter tasting and the child didn't like it the least little bit. And definitely didn't think it was worth the momentary dull in pain. "No me'cine…"

The child's reaction was so comical that Mana couldn't help but grin, although he covered his smile with his hand so as not to upset his brother. Neah had never appreciated being laughed at after all and Mana didn't want to further upset the child by being blatantly obvious about his amusement. Of course being a perceptive child Neah picked up on the fact that Mana found what he had said amusing. The little boy scowled at his brother and said, "Not funny Mana."

"I'm sorry Neah," Mana apologize although he chuckled softly even as the boy glared at him. There was just something innately funny about such a young child with such a disapproving expression and the older boy found that he couldn't help but laugh softly. Even though he tried his best not to, since he fully realized that Neah wouldn't be happy about it.

A slight pout formed on the child's face. "No yer not."

Forcing a serious and hopefully appropriately apologetic expression on his voice Mana said, "I really am sorry Neah. I didn't mean to laugh at you…"

"Yes you did," Neah said before Mana could get any further with his apology. He wasn't convinced that his brother hadn't meant to laugh at him and wasn't going to be convinced otherwise.

"You know," Mana said, shaking his head as he walked over to the closet and pulled out some clothes. He needed to get his younger brother dressed for the day before leaving for school, since Neah still needed a little help. And would most likely need more help than usual what with the fact that he could only use one of his arms at the moment. "You're just a little bit stubborn Neah."

"Am not," Neah piped up, without missing a beat.

This response served to prove his point but Mana chose not to say anything about it lest he have to further argue with his four year old brother. Chuckling under his breath Mana collected the clothing and then returned to the spot where the younger boy was sitting. Neah was still dressed in the clothes that he had been wearing the day before, since Mana hadn't wanted to move his injured arm and risk causing him further pain. The clothes were now incredibly wrinkled and showed obvious signs of the fact that the child had slept in them. "Alright kiddo, have it your way. Now come on, it's time to get dressed."

It took some maneuvering, and much longer than it normally did, but Mana eventually had his little brother dressed in the fresh set of clothing. Then, once this task was complete, he secured the sling around the boy's neck and carefully placed his left arm inside. He had done his best not to cause Neah any pain but despite his care there had been a couple of times when the child had whimpered.

Which of course made Mana feel guilty yet again. He hated to be the cause of his brother's pain and once the little boy was dressed Mana gazed into his large gray eyes. "I'm sorry Neah… I didn't mean to hurt you."

"S'okay Mana," Neah said in his customary quiet voice. Mana was the one ray of hope in his otherwise dreary life and the child was willing to forgive his brother anything.

"Come along Neah," Mana said, offering the little boy his hand. "I'll make you some breakfast and then I have to go to school."

Tears actually appeared in the boy's eyes as he accepted the hand that his older brother was holding out to him. But Neah turned his head to the side so that Mana wouldn't see the fact that he was on the verge of crying. He didn't want to be left alone in the house with the father who couldn't stand the sight of him but knew that his brother had no choice but to leave him.

He had to attend school after all.

Leading the way from the drab little room that belonged to Neah, Mana led the way downstairs and into the kitchen. Their house had a formal dining room but there was also a small table positioned at one end of the kitchen and it was here that the brothers normally had breakfast together. Lifting his little brother Mana placed Neah in one of the chairs before grabbing an apron that was hanging on a hook by the door.

All signs of sadness disappeared as Neah laughed softly, enjoying the sight of his brother wearing the brightly colored apron.

"Hey!" Mana snapped, pretending to be cross even though he actually enjoyed the sound of the younger boy's laughter. It was a rare treat after all since there was very little in Neah's life to laugh about. "I have to do something to keep my uniform clean y'know."

"I know," Neah said in a slightly trembling voice, his enjoyment short lived as he was reminded that soon he would be without the protection of his brother.

Mana's heart nearly broke as he heard the tremor in the little boy's voice but he forced himself not to act as though he had heard it. Even at his young age Neah was very sensitive about anyone thinking that he was weak and Mana knew that it would only upset him more if he made a big deal about it. So the older boy saved such reactions for when Neah was in pain, mainly because he couldn't ignore it at those times.

It was too much.

"So what would you like to have for breakfast kiddo?" Mana questioned, going over to the pantry and gazing inside. He was relieved to find that their father had at least managed to find the motivation to go to the grocer's so that he had something to feed the child. Of course more often than not this chore fell upon Mana's shoulders.

Just like with most of the household chores and caring for Neah. Mana had to do it all himself because there wasn't anyone else who was going to.

Because his father had all but stopped functioning after the death of his wife. The loss had caused the man a pain that he seemed unable to cope with and heal from.

Which had left Mana to learn to fend for himself as well as to care for his brother. It was a responsibility that he took seriously but was none the less one that a child his age shouldn't have to worry about. In many ways he had been forced to grow up far sooner than other children his age. But of course he had fared better than Neah, who had been denied any kind of childhood by the blame placed upon him by their father.

"Pancakes," the child suggested hopefully.

"I think that can be arranged," Mana said, turning and offering Neah a brief smile before gathering up the necessary ingredients. Thankfully this was one of the things that he was actually good at cooking and in no time the two brothers were sitting at the table, each enjoying a large stack of pancakes.

"Thank you," Neah said in his soft edged voice, the corners of his mouth twitching up into what was almost a smile.

"You're very welcome," Mana said, offering his brother a smile.

The brothers ate in silence and then, once both of them were finished with their meal, Mana got to his feet and quickly gathered up the dishes. Placing them in the sink Mana returned to the table and tousled his brother's mahogany hair. "I'll take care of the dishes when I get home. For now I have to go." With one last, encouraging pat to the child's head Mana turned and left the kitchen, leaving Neah sitting at the table.

Tears filled the boy's gray eyes almost immediately and, placing his right arm on the table, Neah rested his head upon it. It was never easy to watch as his brother left without him but today was especially difficult owing to the incident from the day before. Shivering all the child could do was cry although he made no sound.

He had learned the hard way not to make any unnecessary noises, especially not in the mornings. His father always slept late, most likely due to the almost constant hangover he had from drinking so heavily. Waking him from such a state would cause the man to fly into a rage that made his normal foul mood pale in comparison and Neah had no desire to fall victim to his father twice in as many days.

After a few minutes of silent crying Neah slowly managed to compose himself. Sliding from the chair the small boy quickly wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, trying to get rid of any signs of the tears. Not that there was anyone around who would care that he had been crying but for some reason the small boy didn't want to be seen in that state.

Not even by his father.

Leaving the kitchen Neah made his way through the house, keeping to the shadows. All he wanted was to return to his room without anything happening. Thankfully it was still too early for his father to be up so the child managed to make it back upstairs without incident.

Opening the door of his bedroom Neah slipped inside, closing the door soundlessly behind him. Once safely inside his inner sanctum the child heaved an audible sigh of relief. His heart was absolutely pounding inside his chest but Neah was thankful that he had managed to make it back upstairs without running into his father. Walking across the room Neah sat down on the bed. The small child didn't know what to do with himself but what he did know was that he didn't want to risk angering his father. Which meant that it was safer to hide in his room despite the fact that there wasn't really anything to do.

Neah had been determined to remain in his room until Mana returned home from school but the growling of his stomach forced him to rethink this course of action. The child had no idea how many hours had passed since breakfast but what he did know was that he was hungry. And that he was hungry enough to risk a trip downstairs. Taking a deep breath Neah slid from the bed and made his way across the room. Opening the door as quietly as was possible the child glanced out into the hallway, his gaze shifting about in an attempt to make sure that his father was nowhere in sight.

One he was sure that the coast was clear Neah left his room, keeping to the wall in an attempt to hide himself in the shadows. He was desperate not to be seen but the persistent growling of his stomach was urging him onward. Like a ghost the child moved through the house, descending the stairs quickly because there were no shadows behind which to hide. Making every attempt to be utterly silent Neah made his way through the foyer and down the hallway. The sound of footsteps cause the child to press himself against the wall in the wide hallway, knowing that the source of the sound had to be his father.

After all there wasn't anyone else in the large house.

The child's pulse rate quickened as he pressed his back to the wall, ignoring the pain this caused. He wanted nothing more than to fade into the wall and disappear and he had to suppress a moan of despair as he saw his father enter the hall at the far end. The direction that he had been traveling. Neah' body began to tremble at the sight of the man who had filled his short life with suffering and, without thinking, the child took a step back.

He stiffened as he felt himself collide with a small table that was positioned near the end of the hallway. Neah held his breath as the vase that was positioned upon the table wobbled, seeming to hang on the edge a moment before crashing to the floor with a resounding crash.

"What the hell?"

Stifling a cry of horror Neah's gray eyes widened as his gaze shifted between the pile of china on the floor to the glaring man who was standing at the far end of the hallway. He could tell, even from this distance and the dim lighting, that his father was enraged and he took a faltering step back.

"Look what you've done you little brat..." the man snarled, covering the distance between himself and the frightened child in only a few strides. Reaching out he seized the boy by his right arm, pulling at it and causing Neah to cry out in pain.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," the child whispered, tears forming in his gray eyes as he averted his gaze from the furious man. He knew from experience that this quivering apology would do nothing to quell the man's anger and yet the child attempted it none the less.

"Sorry?" the man bellowed, a vein bulging in his forehead as he glared at the child whose arm he was grasping. "Sorry isn't going to pay for that you little bastard."

Neah winced as the man's grip on his arm strengthened, now so tight that the fingers of his right arm were beginning to go numb. The child made one futile attempt to pull his arm free but this brief struggle for freedom was brought to a screeching halt when his father viciously backhanded him. The blow was so fierce that it actually made the child's vision blur and he tasted the metallic coppery taste of blood as his lip was split open. Crying out from the pain Neah' legs buckled, leaving him suspended in the air owing to the grip that his father still had on his arm. He would have fallen were it not for the man's hold; as it was he was left to simly hang there.

"I've had enough of this," his father growled, releasing his grip on the child's arm and allowing Nicholas to fall to the ground. Hitting the floor with an audible 'thud' Neah immediately curled into the fetal position, using his one good arm to protect his head.

Reaching down the man seized his youngest child by the collar of his shirt, using it to lift the boy into the air. Neah gasped as he was lifted into the air by the shirt collar and he struggled to breath. His vision once again blurred and the lack of oxygen caused the little boy to merely hang limply, unable to fight as he was carried down the hallway and into the much feared room.

"Should have left you on the church steps like I thought about," the man muttered as he fiercely pulled the door open and entered a darkened room. This particular room had no windows and there was only one gas lamp alight at the far end of the room. Neah began to shake uncontrollably as his father slammed the door behind them before dropping the child to the floor. "Gonna teach you a lesson that you won't soon forget brat…"

Neah gasped in pain as his small body once again collided violently with the floor and he instinctively curled himself into a tight ball. Forcing his injured left arm to move the little boy wrapped both of his arms around his head, hoping to protect it from further injury.

Because he knew what was coming.

The child could hear the sound of the man striding across the room and knew, without having to look up, what his father was doing. It would only be a matter of seconds before he felt the searing pain of the thick leather strap colliding with his flesh. Tears stung the child's eyes but he bit his bottom lip in an attempt to keep himself from making any sounds. Crying would do nothing to improve his situation and for some reason the child didn't want this man to see his tears. That would be harder to bear than the pain that he knew he was about to endure.

"I'm stronger than him…"

All thoughts disappeared as he heard the sound of leather sailing through the air, a second before it struck him across the back. Attempting to curl himself into an even tighter ball Neah gasped as a burning pain spread throughout his body. The little boy hadn't even had the opportunity to recover from the beating that he had endured the day before and this only intensified the pain. Sucking in a sharp breath, Neah once again bit his bottom lip, this time tasting blood as his teeth broke the skin.

"I've had enough," the man snarled, once again fiercely swinging the thick leather strap. It collided with the cowering child's back with a resounding 'thwack', eliciting a gasp of pain from the child. "You're going to learn your lesson one way or another brat."

Neah had no idea what lesson he was supposed to be learning from this but couldn't keep his mind focused on this train of thought for any length of time. Another bone jarring blow struck his back, higher up than the others, and Neah couldn't suppress a small whimper of pain.

Which seemed to further enrage his father.

"Shut the fuck up!" he roared as blow after blow rained down upon the child who was huddled on the ground at his feet. "This is your own damn fault you little bastard!" His voice actually broke at this point, as though he was on the verge of tears himself. "Everything's YOUR FAULT!"

Neah had heard this accusation for as long as he could remember but he still didn't know what was his fault. His father had never told him what he was being blamed for, only that it was his fault. This was always the words that he chose to use in order to justify the beatings that he administered to the child and yet Neah had never understood them. He couldn't remember doing anything but whatever it was must have been horrific for it to lead to such continuous and brutal punishments.

"YOUR FAULT!" the man screamed, intensifying the force behind the blows. Seeking to cause this child at his feet the same measure of pain that he had endured the past four years. As well as seeking to alleviate some of the pain and guilt that he felt over what had happened. "YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT!"

The force of the blows finally succeeded in causing the little boy to cry out in pain. It was true that his father was always in a foul mood but this was probably the angriest that Neah had ever seen him. And the sheer force of the blows only served to magnify this fact. Hearing the sobs of the child the man gazed down at Neah for a moment before dealing one final, fierce blow to the child. Slightly out of breath the boy's father just stood there for a moment, listening to the sound of the child's muffled sobs.

"Brat," he snarled.

"What did I do?" the child thought to himself as the blows finally came to a halt. This was the one question that he always asked of himself whenever he endured the rage of his father. And yet he had never once received an answer, whether he spoke the question out loud to his brother or merely asked it of the powers that be. No one seemed to know the answer or perhaps they just didn't want to give it to him. Somewhat fearful that the beating would resume Neah remained curled into a ball, keeping his arms folded over his head in a protective manner.

Growling low in his throat the man strode across the room, once again hanging the leather strap in it's customary place. The child listened to the sounds of his father's heavy footfalls, heaving a slightly shaky sigh of relief as he heard the man open the door and leave the room.

Only when he was alone did Neah allow himself to cry freely. Still lying on the floor the boy's small body shook with the force of his sobs. He didn't understand why he was so different from his brother; didn't understand why their father seemed to love Mana and not him.

"Am I really that bad?" he whispered, knowing that there was no one to hear the question. And no one to offer him an answer. But that was the way that it had been his entire life. Many questions that seemed to have no answers.

A/N - End of another chapter and I find myself feeling vastly sorry for Neah…