Gakusangi + IcePuppet

Chapter 4 – When I’m open

--

Mello tensed a little as they neared the House of Grace and Hope - the orphanage that Aiber had selected for the marketer's pickup. He hadn't really taken any time to practice his new persona...honestly, he wasn't sure exactly how to approach it. He'd never really tried to be anyone but himself. Matt had already given him the ear-piece and watch - he looked down at the watch now.

2:16 PM

He sighed, and leaned back in his seat.

From the other end of the line he could actually hear Linda pacing - the quickened, but light steps making it obvious that it was in fact the brown haired girl that was shuffling around, walking back and forth. It was also very obvious that she wanted him to 'know' she was pacing - otherwise, she wouldn't have had the 'talk' button pressed down.

"Mic check." Matt said calmly.

"Testing - 1 - 2 - testing." Mello replied.

"Check." Matt said.

"Linda?" Mello said softly. "What's on your mind?"

"I have a bad feeling," she informed - her voice showing how on edge she was.

"Take a breath." Mello said. "I'm in good hands."

"It's not 'you' that I'm having the bad feeling about!" The brown haired girl snapped.

"Thanks." Mello snapped back.

"Should I take you off speaker?" Matt suggested.

"I think that would be wise," Nancy stated.

"Just me and you now Mel." The redhead leaned back in his chair and stretched. He glanced over at Nancy. "You ready team leader?"

She nodded firmly in response. "Linda?" She then asked. "Be ready to remember any names you might hear and put them together with all the information you read earlier."

"I got it," Linda groaned, finally sitting down.

Matt heard Mello hop out of the car, and go into processing.

"Remember Mel," Matt said into the headset, "You're a little orphan albinic boy, not a crime fighting super genius with an attitude like a rabid badger."

The only reason Mello didn't snap at Matt was because he was within earshot of other people. He shook the headmaster's hand - trying his best to look reserved and a little frightened. "Hello sir."

Matt snorted.

"Put him back on speaker?" Linda requested. "I've calmed down - I need to hear any names he might come by."

Matt flipped the switch.

"Thanks, sir..." Mello said quietly. "I'm very happy to be here too..."

"I didn't say go Oliver Twist on them Mel." Matt chuckled.

"Be nice, Matt," Nancy stated in a voice that showed she was amused.

"Are there any children like me here headmaster?" Mello asked - it was like listening to a different person altogether - this boy was so quiet and polite.

Linda listened with one ear while she quietly thumbed through more files with her other - re-reading everything, to make sure she didn't miss anything important.

"Thank you, sir." Mello said. "I can unpack on my own."

"Okay then." The headmaster replied. "After you get situated, I'll come by to take you to the commons for supper."

"Thank you, sir." Mello replied. They heard a door close. "To hell with you all!" Nancy smiled to herself while Linda snorted in amusement. "Shut up!" The blonde whined. "I hate this..."

"Keep cool Mello." Matt replied. "You'll have to keep it up for a while...You're not even getting picked up until later tonight."

"We couldn't have planned this a little closer?" Mello groaned. They heard him flop on the bed.

"Quit complaining," Linda hummed, not lifting her head. "You jumped at the chance to volunteer for this."

"I know." Mello groaned - shifting on the bed. "...How are things reading?"

"All green." Matt replied - glancing down at the monitors in front of him.

"Nancy?" Mello called. "Are things all set?"

"Yes," she called with a nod, although he couldn't see it. "Everything is ready to go. All we have to do now is wait."

"Are you nervous?" Mello asked.

"Extremely," she admitted. "I could take the next few hours just to list the things that could go wrong."

"...I'll be fine." Mello replied softly. "I'll be safe...promise.”

"Game faces on now, guys." Matt said quietly. "We can't break character. Too much is at stake."

The next few hours went on in grueling silence. Matt checked, and double-checked his equipment. Linda had resumed pacing - which annoyed Mello. Nancy remained still, and silent. Finally someone came in, and Mello was escorted to the commons. He made a few friends, and had to answer a few questions about his 'condition'. Afterwards he went back to his room for bed.

"You're quite the charmer." Matt remarked.

"Lay off!" Mello spat.

"Calm down, please," Nancy requested, before glancing at Matt. "And stop provoking him. It's almost time."

"Bedtime, Mel." Matt said. "Sleep tight - don't let the bed-bugs bite."

"Night." Mello said - he sounded genuinely exhausted.

Matt looked over at Linda. "Have a seat. The show's about to begin."

She nodded and took a seat, crossing her legs and pulling her skirt down.

They were all silent for a little while - then they started hearing Mello's light - steady breathing.

"He actually fell asleep!" Matt whispered in surprise.

Linda nodded, quietly. "Matt?" she whispered, wanting to tell him what she had told Mello before the action started.

"Mel?" Matt suddenly said - straightening in his chair. "Mel wake up! I think I heard something!"

Mello watched with a half-lidded eye, as the man came slipping in through his window. Black boots, and a denim jacket with a bright colored t-shirt. Mello stayed still, breathing steadily. The man slowly approached the bed.

Nancy and Linda both held their breath in fear- both realizing in that moment just how real this all had become.

The man removed a dampened rag from his jacket. It was undoubtedly laced with something to knock him out. The man came forward slowly. Mello moved fast - insanely fast. He was behind the man - twisting his arm behind his back, and pinning him to the bed.

"Matt now!" Mello shouted.

"It's a go - it's a go!" Matt said. "All units move in!” He looked over at the girls with a grin. "Mission accomplished."

"Excellent work, Mello," Nancy stated with a small smile. "I am proud of you."

"Thanks." Mello replied - panting a little. "What a rush!"

"It's not over yet," Linda reminded. Although she didn't say it, the meaning behind her words were obvious - they still hadn't found Near.

"Phase one complete." Matt said. "On to phase two...sooo boring!"

"We have to sweat the information out of him Matt." L said on the laptop set on the table. "It'll take time, but we'll get what we want...You've all done excellently."

"I hope whoever you got to interrogate him is good," Linda almost snapped. She was right, however - time was still ticking by; and with it, their chances of finding Near alive.

"Local authorities are more than capable of getting the desired information." L replied. "Were one step closer to finding Near...It's only a matter of time..."

"Which we're running out of." Matt said gloomily.

--

Sometime during the night, Near jumped awake with a small cry, his entire body jerking as he awoke from a nightmare.

The motion sent searing pain throughout his entire body, and he hissed loudly afterwards. Beside him, the woman jolted. "What the hell?"

He buried his face into the pillow and let out a weak sob, before mumbling, "I'm sorry, mommy... I had a nightmare..."

"What?" She asked - still sounding frustrated. "A nightmare?"

"Yes..." the pre-teen answered, meekly.

She mumbled, and rolled out of the bed - disappearing back into the bathroom. Near heard the sink come on. He whimpered and buried his face back in the pillow - the memories of the nightmare still fresh in his mind. She returned, then - steadying herself in the doorway, and holding her forehead. She stumbled back over to the bed, and fell in beside him again.

"You had a bad dream?" She said - some semblance of her usual bright disposition returning to her voice.

"Yes, mommy..." Near whispered, looking to her with a desperate look - wanting some sort of comfort.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked sleepily.

"No," he whimpered. "I just want a hug... please, mommy?"

"Ohh, sweetie." She pulled him against her - she was very warm, and she had managed to blindly place her arms in spots that wouldn't rack his body with unbearable pain. "It's okay...mommy's here."

He managed to roll onto his side - although it shot blinding pain through him - and curl up against her, burring his face against her shoulder as he cried quietly.

She rubbed his back - whispering soft things into his ear.

"It's okay - mommy's got you." She said gently. "Shh...Just try to go back to sleep..."

It was all wrong - everything about it was wrong. The hold was a little too tight, the body was larger and much more curved, the voice a woman's instead of a teenage boy's... it shouldn't have been her comforting him - but he couldn't remember who it 'should' be.

Eventually his sobs died down into soft shaking as Near fell back asleep in her arms.

When he woke again, he was alone in the woman's bed - and a little bit of sunlight was pocking in through the window - a blade of golden light cutting across the bed just ahead of him. Apparently his body had still been mostly numb the day before, because no sooner had he woken, and his surrounding come into his vision blurry, and unfocused, did he suddenly let out a choked cry, and drop his head back onto the pillow.

It was agonizing - leaving him sobbing loudly and screaming silently into the fabric. He was actually tempted to hold the pillow over his face and suffocate himself, just to stop the pain.

Then he heard someone enter the room - their footsteps soft - just barely detectable by his ears.

His sobs died down into whimpers as he lifted his head, his breathing coming in heavy gasps.

Yumi stood beside the bed. Her eyes were alight, and she was grinning down at him in her teal nighty - something blurry draped across her shoulders.

"Morning." She said with mock sweetness. "How'd little brother sleep?"

Just his luck. Near dropped his head back onto the pillow, wishing death would just take him.

"Aww, not feeling well?" She cooed. "That's okay...Big sister is here to make you all better."

It was only when she said those words that Near realized that his fever had lead up - and was possibly completely gone.

Great... even 'more' bad news.

Yumi came a little closer. Whatever she was carrying was long, thin, and slightly curved - he could also see that it had a hooked end.

Dull eyes widened and shot to her. "Yumi..." he whimpered - his voice pleading.

She held the cane out in front of him - it's wooden shaft only inches from his face.

"You haven't had the pleasure yet, right?" Yumi hummed.

"Yumi, please..." he begged.

"Please what?" She asked.

She laid the cane over his injured backside - this contact alone caused him to jump, and yelp. Feeling the hard surface of the wicked device against his thoroughly tender skin, he couldn't even imagine what an actually blow from it might feel like.

"I figured I'd extend you the same courtesy." Yumi hissed. "Since you were so kind to me."

"Yumi was unkind first..." Near reminded with a weak whimper.

She pressed the cane down - pushing on his thoroughly beaten bottom. The pain was so intense that it made his insides burn.

"Yumi lied to me!" He sobbed, attempting to jerk away from the pressure but having no success. "Yumi made me sick!"

"Are you snapping at me?" Yumi asked - pressing a little harder. "Are you getting short with big sister? Mommy says that bad boy's don't listen to their big sisters...You know what happens to bad boys?"

The only answer she got was a loud sob as he cringed, both from the pain and her words.

He wasn't bad... she had been bad first!

She removed the cane - allowing him to breathe. She leaned down beside his face.

"Tell big sister you're sorry." She purred. "Tell her that you'll never be bad to her again..."

"I'm sorry," the teen whimpered. "I'll never be bad to Yumi again!"

"You're 'really' sorry?" She asked.

"Really sorry!" Near cried, his body shaking with the force of his sobs.

"Not as sorry as you're going to be." She purred in his ear.

She straightened up - bending the cane in front of her a few times the loosen it up - making the whip-action more effective.

He looked up to her desperately, his eyes wide. Before she could even bring the whip up, he let out a horrified scream that echoed around the room - probably heard by all of his 'sisters'.

Where was mommy? Was she letting Yumi do this? Did she think he was bad, too?

"Mommy's out shopping." Yumi said with a grin. "Everyone else is downstairs...It's just you, and me little brother."

He was frightened - no, he was scared shitless. That much was obvious in his face. He knew this was going to be a pain like no other he'd ever felt, and he knew she probably wasn't going to let up on him until mommy came home - if then, even.

So it probably made sense that his mind decided to numb itself and his body worked on it's own - forcing the pain to become a secondary thing as he suddenly jerked up and flew off the bed, tackling her to the ground with all of the force he could muster.

She rolled him over - pinning his wrists to the small of his back - panting, and gaping at him.

"Holy shit!" She breathed. "You attacked me..."

He didn't seem to hear her - struggling against her hold wildly as he snarled, almost like a wild animal.

She fought to stay on top of him - tossing the cane aside, and laying over him - like a blanket.

"Whoa there!" She breathed. "Down...take it down...relax..."

There were a few more moments where he fought her wildly before he suddenly stopped moving all together - she was forced to pull back a bit to make sure he was still breaking.

She sat up - her bottom still pinning his wrists down. She was breathing hard, and trembling a little. "Brother?"

Near didn't answer - his body completely still and his eyes open wide, but completely lifeless. His lips were parted slightly and she could barely hear his quiet breaths over the sound of her own heartbeat.

"Oh shit..." She breathed, leaning down - looking into his pale eyes. "Brother? Little brother?"

Still no answer from the small boy - he blinked, automatically, but didn't show any indication of hearing her.

She slowly rolled off of him - keeping her muscles tight, and ready to snap into action. She never looked away from him as she did so.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if his current state was no act - because he didn't move, even after she was completely off of him.

She reached over, placing a hand on his back, and rubbing it tenderly. She leaned in close to his face.

"You're okay," She said softly, "It's okay...you can just be calm now...okay?"

The young boy didn't even twitch.

Yumi thought frantically, she took the boy into her arms, and carried him into the bathroom. She set him down on the tile floor, and switched on the bath water - filling the tub with warm water. Once is was full, she shut off the faucet, and returned to Near. She lifted him up, and dropped him in the water - making a dramatic splash.

He jerked in surprise as his body hit the water - but it seemed that was the only response she got. The pale boy didn't even attempt to lift his head above the water, instead sinking to the bottom of the tub and staring up at her with that same empty expression.

She pulled him back up, and slapped him hard across the face. "Damn it!" She shouted. "Snap out of it already!"

His face turned with the force of the slap - which sounded twice as loud, considering his cheek was wet. There was still nothing and as she let him go he slumped back against the edge of the tub, like a lifeless puppet.

She looked at him - her eyes trembling. Then the tears brimmed. She rolled over the lip, and into the tub - drawing the boy against her. She sobbed softly, and began stroking his hair. "Not him too!" She sobbed. "Please...He was..." Then she stopped saying words - giving way to sobs instead. She held him desperately - her tears falling into his ivory hair as she continued to run her fingers through it.

There was nothing - whatever was left of the albino was locked deep inside and she knew there was no way she could get it out.

He'd broken, just like the others.