Dark and Light

Chapter 22

"I'm sorry." He whispered and dropped the harmful razor. "I'll stop I promise. Please just forgive me."

She hugged him back,"You didn't do anything wrong to me. Your doing wrong to yourself Matt and you can stop. I know you have it in you to stop."

"I hurt you. That's worse than hurting myself, Samantha."

"You know, before we started talking, before you ever realized I existed, I had a crush on you. My heart had no eyes other than that redhead troublesome Jeevas and I couldn't stop myself from being attracted to you. I still feel that way Matt. I still feel tingles of electricity and the butterflies in my stomach and j don't know how to feel about this... I.. I've never felt love before. I don't know-I just think.." Her composure. Her speech, it was all crumbling and she seemed lost. The words were right there in her heart, but lost whoever she attempted to take them out of her body.

The way he could easily hold her, how it felt so right. It made Matt suspicious. But he castes the emotions away for the moment and held on tighter, determined not to let go.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice you earlier... I think you could have saved me a world of pain. I'm sorry, Sammy." He muttered in return and allowed a single tear drop to roll off his face onto her hair. He was so much taller than her, and his figure was much boarder meanwhile Samantha's body was rather gaunt. He ran a hand through her hair, it was so soft and silky... He did it again and again until he was chuckling.

"W-What's so funny?" She asked defensively.

"Nothing, Avalon."

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Driving, driving, driving. It felt like hours, watching the street lights and crumbling towers zim by. Nate patiently waited in the backseat, inhaling the bizarre iron scent and gazing out the window.

'Whats Mello doing... No doubt pacing in his room as he always does whenever he's upset...' Near thinks quietly to himself and fidgets with his white strands of hair. 'Mello... Mello... Mello.' The boy with median blond hair, azure blue irises, and the firstly attitude want leave his mind.

Even though he should be more cautious with the driver, he's lost in his thoughts.

Lost in the thought if Mello.

The thought of the rough texture of his skin, of his lips and how gracefully they move against his own. Of the way Mello can hug him, and Near sees nothing else but a bright future and happiness ahead for them. Of how the blond can make him laugh, make him smile without even trying.

Mihael Kheel.

Mello.

The driver suddenly stops in a peaceful neighborhood, in front of an abandoned home. The lights are out in the one story, white bricked house. The willow sadly hands its branches in the front yard. Near passes the man a twenty dollar bill, says thank you, and proceeds exits the vehicle.

"Don't mention it!" He calls out to the tiny albino. If Near hadn't been so deep in thought, so lost in his daydreams, he might have noticed the taxi wasn't leaving. It was still parked in the driveway and made no sign of leaving with his headlights off, twisting the key and pulling it out with one swift jerk of the hand. The man sighed and excited as well, bored and beyond depressed the great Near, L's most obvious successor was easily distracted and painfully reckless. This wasn't like him. Leaving Wammy's at the brink of dawn and most importantly, alone? Not like him at all.

Mello. It was obviously Mello, the boys lover, that was a great distraction.

Beyond sighed. This would be no fun at all. He had expected Mello and Near to come together, but unsteady Near had been impulsive and come alone. Oh well, good enough. His plan would still go along just as predicted. He ran his hand through his median black hair, groaned and shut his eyes.

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'I'll be there soon, Near.' Mello thought determinedly and sped up on the Harley he had just hijacked. He would be there in less than minutes. And hopefully, he wouldn't be too late to save Near from Beyond Birthday.

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The clueless pale white boy thought for a moment as he realized the front door was locked. He remembered there was always a spare key underneath the carpet. Near crouched down and slid his fingers underneath the light tan, feeling the roughness of the carpet and finally finding the cool metallic key. He jerked his hand away, and with a trembling hand, stuck the key in the door.

Near inhaled sharply, his lungs filled with air and making no sign of refilling with air. He stepped into the dark home, and felt around the white walls for a light switch.

When he did, Near instantly regretted his choice. There was blood, everywhere. From the walls, to the hallway ceiling and the further Near ventured into the abandoned home, he noticed there was so much blood. Had it only been his mother and father to die here? The couches, cushions, all spattered with the deep red liquid. Nailed on the red and white walls, dolls made of straw. They had been left by the killer. 'But what did they mean?' He wondered and inched closer to the one on the far left wall. Nothing peculiar about it...

Near then cautiously made his way to the master bedroom but then stopped. The family portrait hanging above the hearth of the fireplace froze him dead in his tracks. It seemed the entire area was covered in dried blood, but two inches around the picture and the picture itself was utterly clean.

The killer had also done that.

Near clenched his fists and marched into his parents room, yet again struggling to find the light switch but soon feeling the cool plastic underneath his fingertips and successfully flipping the switch. The master bedroom was spotless, perfectly made bed, not a speck of blood but the stench was horrid. As if something were dying in there...

The bed sat still, tan walls taunting Near, as if saying, Look at me. I'm blood free and yet your parents are dead and you can't solve this case. You can't even trust your own boyfriend to help you out on this. Your too emotionally unstable and broken to do anything right.

The clenched fists became tighter and tighter until Near's hands were covered in popping blue veins.

The killer wanted this didn't he? He wanted Near to break and become upset. Beyond birthday wanted this.

Near opened the double doors that led to the master bathroom, checking the closet for any other possible clues. He would have checked for fingerprints, but according to the police files, the home had been wiped clean from any prints before they had arrived to the crime scene. So it was pointless checking.

He stared at his fathers tuxedos and his mothers fancy gowns, skirts, tops, and glittery dresses. He picked up a necklace laying in the middle of the walk in closet, a golden medallion with a picture of Near, his mother, and father all smiling happily at the camera.

That had been a good day... Near had played a sport that day, soccer actually and scored a goal by standing right by the post then when someone passed it to him, it bounced off his knee, off the post, and past the goalies reach. That had been a great moment.

Little did the tiny genius know, was that necklace was dropped there, intended to distract him for a minute or two, so when the time was right, Beyond would enter with ease.

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Beyond Birthday slipped through the window into the room he knew for a fact Near was in. Too easy. Far too easy to have the next L like this cornered. And the worst part about this, was that Mello wasn't here to witness his lover meet his demise. Beyond enjoyed challenges and brutal fights. But most of all he enjoyed the jar of strawberry jam in his hand.

He scoped a bit of with his hands and sucked on it, casually strolling into the bathroom. Beyond was as silent as a stone and as slick as a ninja, but Near's instincts screamed at him that he was in danger, he stood and whipped around staring dumbfound at the lanky, pale, insomniac teenager with slicked back black hair staring right back at him.

"Hello, Nate Rivers. Ready to die?" He asked bored lay and licked the rest of the sweet strawberry jam off his fingers clean.