Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Four - Dead Eyes

The only sound in the room was the incessant ticking of a clock that was positioned on the mantel above the vacant fireplace. This room, which had once been a study, was seldom used, save for the torture of the small boy, so the fireplace was never lit. The curtains had been drawn so that even in the daylight hours the room was bathed in shadows. Almost as though the man who owned the house had actively sought to shut in the horrors that he inflicted upon his child in this room.

Punishment for a wrong that he had never committed.

Even long after his father had left the dreaded 'room' Neah remained curled into a tight ball on the floor. Too battered and afraid to even voluntarily move so much as a muscle. But this didn't mean that he was completely still because there were some movements that the child had absolutely no control over. His small body shook with the sobs that he could no longer suppress, this motion only adding to the pain that he was already experiencing due to the vicious beating that he had endured. The child's mind was completely blank and his gray eyes stared straight ahead, seemingly unseeing.

They weren't the eyes of a small boy, eyes that should have been filled with happiness. Instead they were the eyes of a tortured soul who had seen far more pain than anyone should have to endure. Eyes that had beheld horrors that no small child should have been subjected to.

After an excruciatingly long day at school, one that he had feared would never come to an end, Mana was finally making his way back home. He was concerned for his brother, whom he had been forced to leave in the house with the father that begrudged him every breath that he took. It hadn't been the ideal set of circumstances but Mana hadn't been able to come up with an alternative.

"I didn't want to leave him there…" Mana whispered to himself, having spent the day praying that everything would be okay. So long as Neah avoided their father then he would most likely be safe. The man never actively sought out the son whose existence he would have been perfectly content ignoring. It was only when the mahogany haired child happened to cross his path that violence erupted. It still amazed Mana that his father could be a completely sane and rational man one moment and then a sadistic monster the next.

It made absolutely no sense.

"Why can't he see that none of this is Neah's fault? Why doesn't he understand that he's just a sweet little boy?"

Of course these weren't questions that Mana was likely to ever find the answers to so he was forced to just continue to move forward. "That's the only thing that we can do… keep walking and hope that tomorrow will bring about better days."

That was a hope that Mana clung to and a mantra that he often repeated to himself but faith was waning with each day that passed. The light at the end of the tunnel growing dimmer with each new injury that was inflicted upon his helpless and innocence little brother. Each new horror that was visited upon a child who had done nothing. Each time that Mana had to comfort him and lament the fact that he had been able to do absolutely nothing to stop it.

"Where are you God?" he questioned out loud as he continued to make his way down the cobblestone streets. Gazing up he stared at the overcast sky, a sky that was threatening imminent rain. He had taught Neah to pray since the moment that he could talk and yet things were only going from bad to worse. And if something didn't change soon then it seemed quite likely that the child would meet his demise at the hands of his own father.

The man who should have cherished him as the precious miracle that he was.

As Mana walked along, completely lost in thought, he almost ran into a street vendor who was selling apples outside of one of the stores. Snapping back to reality the boy drew up short just as the man yelled, "Watch out kid!"

"I'm sorry," Mana muttered, not having even noticed the man's cart until he had been practically on top of it. But now that he was once again a member of the real world and not the world that existed only in his mind he noticed exactly what the man was selling. Large red apples that made his mouth water just to look at them.

"I bet that Neah would enjoy one of those," the thought to himself, fishing around in his pocket for some coins. He thought about the smile that would appear on his brother's face if he took home this treat. A smile spread across his own face as Mana finally pulled his hand from the pocket of his trousers, several coins held in his hand.

The street vendor's demeanor changed immediately as the boy held up the money. A smile spread across his face, revealing the fact that he was missing several of his front teeth. "How many would you like young master?" he questioned, whistling slightly as he spoke owing to the gaps in his teeth.

Mana picked out four of the largest apples, three for Neah and one for himself, and then handed some of the coins to the man. Taking the money that the child was holding out to him the man handed him a brown paper bag to put the apples in. "Thank you sir."

"No, thank you young master," the man said, his toothy grin widening as he bit the corner of one of the coins. Making certain that it was the genuine article before stowing them in his pocket.

Mana inclined his head ever so slightly to the man before continuing on his way. His mood was somewhat lighter now that he had a treat to take home to his little brother. Hopefully this would help to make up for the fact that he had been forced to leave.

"Hopefully this will bring a smile to his face," Mana thought to himself as he reached the house that he shared with his brother and their father. Reaching out he pulled the front door open, quietly stepping inside the house.

A house that was as still as death its self.

Knowing that it probably wasn't a good idea to call out and announce his return home Mana instead closed the door quietly behind himself. Then, with a small sigh, he set about searching for his little brother. Clutching the bag that contained the apples that he had bought the brown haired boy made his way up the staircase. None of the gas lamps had been lit so the house was bathed in shadows but this wasn't really all that unusual. Due to his drinking habit their father often slept most of the day so Mana was usually the one who lit the lamps.

That is if they were lit at all.

Making his way down the hall to his brother's room Mana knocked lightly, hoping that this would prevent his brother from panicking when he opened the door. After all their father wouldn't knock but would instead simply barge into the room. "It's just me," he called out in a whisper as he opened the door and entered the room.

Only to find it empty.

There wasn't even so much as a trace of Neah anywhere in the room. And it didn't take very long to ascertain this fact since the room was pitifully small and under furnished. Feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach Mana whirled around and left the room, not even bothering to close the door behind himself. He was desperate to find his little brother and hoping against hope that nothing bad had happened to Neah while he was away at school.

"Please… let him be okay…"

Mana repeated this over and over again as he searched the house for Neah. His tone was pleading, even though he wasn't exactly sure whom he was pleading with. After all that he had witnessed his brother enduring Mana wasn't even sure if he still believed in God, despite the fact that his mother had always taught him to believe.

How could God allow an innocent child to suffer when it would be so easy for Him to intervene?

It didn't make any sense to Mana but on the other hand he desperately wanted to believe despite the evidence to the contrary. Because without that belief and a hope that things could get better he had nothing. No way to reassure his brother that the child's life wouldn't always be hell on earth.

There were only a few rooms in the house where Neah would venture on his own and it didn't take Mana very long to search them. The first was the kitchen but that room was empty and then after that he made his way to the parlor.

Which was equally deserted.

After searching the seldom used parlor, which contained a piano that Neah sometimes like to play, Mana could feel the tightness in his stomach growing even stronger. He was running out of places that Neah would willingly go and that only left one room… the one part of the house that the four year old was absolutely terrified of.

The room had once been their father's study, back in the days when he had held down a job as a respectable attorney, but now was seldom even entered. Except when the man felt the need to punish his son for some fabricated wrong. Feeling decidedly nauseous Mana slowly and cautiously made his way to that room. He knew that his father would be furious if he caught him in that room, since it was off limits, but the boy was desperate to find his brother.

And this was the only place left that he knew to look.

Reaching out with a trembling hand he grasped the doorknob. Taking a few minutes to build up his nerve and steel his resolve, Mana finally pulled the door open. The room was bathed in shadows and it took a few moments for Mana's eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness. But when they finally did he was met with a sight that made his blood run cold. The bag of apples that he had been carrying tumbled to the floor, spilling from the bag and rolling across the hardwood. Coming to rest completely forgotten a few feet away.

"Oh my god…"

Neah's small form was lying in the center of the room, completely still and unmoving. Mana couldn't even tell if the child was breathing and he rushed forward, dropping to his knees at his brother's side. "Neah," he called out urgently, having to fight to keep his voice quiet.

Because if their father were to enter the room at this moment then there would be hell to pay.

There was no response from the small form lying curled up in the fetal position so Mana placed his hand on the little boy's shoulder. Tears stung his eyes as he continued to stare down at the little boy, who appeared even smaller since he was curled into such a tight ball. "Neah… Neah please answer…"

Still no response from Neah but with his hand placed on the child's shoulder Mana could feel the fact that he was still breathing. This brought him a small measure of relief but the sick feeling in his stomach refused to go away. It was obvious that his brother had once again had a run in with their father and Mana felt the guilt rise up to consume him. This wouldn't have happened if he had just skipped school to stay at home with his brother.

"Stupid," he berated himself as he pulled Neah' still form into his arms. He did his best not to aggravate the little boy's injuries but Neah didn't even so much as flinch. Which only served to further increase Mana's anxiety over the situation. "How could I have been so unimaginably stupid? I'm so sorry Neah."

Once he had his brother cradled gently in his arms Mana carefully got to his feet. Cursing their father under his breath the boy left the study and quietly made his way back upstairs to Neah' room. Now thankful that he had left the door open Mana entered the room, placing the child that he carried on the bed before going back over to close the door. Making it a point to be as quiet as possible Mana closed the door and then made his way back over to the bed where Neah was lying. Sinking to his knees at the child's bedside Mana was horrified to find that Neah's gray eyes, normally so expressive and intelligent looking, were open and staring blankly ahead, seemingly vacant and unseeing. Eyes that were devoid of all feeling and emotion.

Dead eyes.

"I'm so sorry Neah," Mana apologized once again, his voice breaking as he reached out and grasped the child's small hand into his own. Giving it a comforting squeeze he attempted to bring his brother back to him… back from whatever internal world he seemed to have locked himself in. "Please come back to me little brother…"

Mana wasn't sure if Neah could survive this latest in a long series of traumas… perhaps his mind had simply shut down. It certainly appeared that way judging by the vacant look in his eyes.

Had their father finally broken him?

"Neah…"

Mana could feel a deep and seething hatred for their father rise inside him. Where before he could always at least partially rationalize the man's behavior now he could only see it for what it was. Completely inexcusable.

Gazing back down at his little brother Mana whispered, in a voice that didn't sound like his own, "I promise you Neah… someday he's going to pay for what he's done to you. It may not be today or tomorrow but it's going to happen."

But not even this vow, nor the slightly harsh tone of his brother's voice, was enough to snap Neah out of the trance that he seemed to be in.

With a sigh Mana leaned his back against the bed frame, his hand held over his shoulder so that he could maintain his grip on Neah' hand. He wanted to maintain contact with his brother, hoping that it would offer comfort to the both of them.

Because there was nothing else that he could do in order to gain that feeling.

"I wish you were here Mother," he whispered, his voice breaking and tears streaming down his face. Things would have been so different for them if only his mother had lived.

Several hours passed, during which Mana dozed off. It wasn't intentional but the exhaustion and stress of the day finally got to him and the boy succumbed. His dreams were plagued with violent images and he twitched ever so often, seeking to escape the images that were assaulting his mind.

Blinking his eyes, which were burning fiercely, Neah noticed that his hand was being held by someone. Tensing slightly, more out of habit than anything else, the child shifted his gaze and saw that Mana was seated on the floor at his bedside. Noticing that his older brother seemed to be caught in the throes of a nightmare Neah gave the hand that he held a gentle squeeze. It was a small motion but more than enough to rouse Mana from his sleep… as though he had been waiting for the gentle pressure on his hand.

"Neah," he said, turning around so that he was facing his little brother. Neah remained in a prone position on his stomach, seemingly lacking the strength to rise, but he offered Mana a small smile.

"Hi Mana," the boy said in his customary soft edged voice. There was a hint of pain in his tone but it was obvious that Neah was trying to hide this fact from his brother.

"I'm really sorry about what happened," Mana said, his gaze downcast as he spoke these words. As though he were afraid to look at his brother, afraid of what he might see in Neah' gray eyes.

"Not your fault," Neah said, his voice containing a stern note that seemed oddly out of place for such a young child. Reaching out he placed the tips of his fingers on his older brother's chin, forcing Mana to look at him before adding for good measure, "Not your fault."

Mana smiled at the four year old, grateful that the little boy seemed so willing to forgive him for not being there. But the look in Neah' eyes was still lacking the sparkle that it had always contained even despite the abuse.

His gray orbs were dull and listless, making it appear as though their father truly had destroyed something inside him.

Neah wasn't the same person that he had been even that morning. And Mana could only hope that there was some way to reverse the damage that had been done.

"I hate what he's done to you Neah," Mana thought to himself, not even daring to utter the words out loud. For fear of the effect that they could possibly have on the mahogany haired child. "But I promise you that I WILL find a way to make it right again. Even if it's the last thing that I do on this earth."

"What'cha thinkin' bout?" Neah questioned, having noticed that his brother had developed a thoughtful expression. And there seemed to be a malevolent light shining in his normally kind brown eyes.

"It's nothing really," Mana said, reaching out and absently tousling Neah' hair affectionately. He wanted to ask what had happened but at the same time didn't want to force his brother to relive the horror that seemed to have caused him such tremendous mental anguish.

So he kept his questions to himself.

"Yer a lousy liar," Neah deadpanned, not even remotely fooled by the answer that Mana had given him.

Gazing at Neah, Mana pretended to be offended by the comment. "Well that wasn't a very nice thing to say to your big brother Neah Walker," he said indignantly.

"Oh well," Neah quipped, the ghost of a roguish grin briefly appearing on his face.

"Oh well?" Mana repeated, arching one brow as he gazed at the child. "Is that all you have to say, oh well?"

Neah nodded, giggling slightly before he moved the wrong way. A searing pain shot through his entire body, causing the boy to wince. Not missing this fact Mana quickly got to his feet. "I'm going to get you something for the pain Neah… I'll be right back."

Not wanting his brother to leave him Neah refused to release his grip on Mana's hand. "Don' go," he whimpered.

"But Neah…"

"I jus' want you here," the child murmured, gazing up at Mana with a pleading look in his gray eyes.

A look that Mana couldn't have ignored even if he wanted to. Sinking down Mana seated himself on the edge of the bed, gently pulling Neah' upper body into his arms. "If you want me to stay that much then I won't leave you for even a second," he promised, running a hand through his brother's hair.

"Thank you," Neah murmured, closing his eyes and feeling secure in the knowledge that his big brother was watching over him.

A/N - Well here's another one and now Mana feels extremely guilty over what happened. And has vowed to do something about it. Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.