He didn't see, but could feel the onlookers as Mail made his way through the crowded room. He could even hear a some cooing and few people wooting and cheering Mail on.

The white-haired boy didn't let out the breath he was holding until he felt the sunlight starting to burn his skin and heard the sound of the party inside become muffled.

"We're moving to my car now." Mail informed as he hustled up.

The white-haired boy poked his eyes open behind the sunglasses, trying to get a look at this 'charger'.

Mail opened the car door and set Near in the passenger seat- buckling him in before running over to the driver's side.

Near looked surprised as he glanced around the inside of the car, before sighing and glancing over at Mail.

...He really wanted to go home.

--Scene Change--

Nate pulled back after only a second and frowned down at Matt, hoping he'd calmed down.

Matt blinked at Nate dumbly for a moment- his cheeks flushed as he stared back at the ivory-haired boy- his lips still warm and tingling from when his and Nate's had met.

"I'm sorry... I didn't- I... I..." Nate sighed, looking defeated. "...I didn't know how else to make you shut up."

"...Huh?" Matt blinked dully.

"Ugh... I have to pee," Nate lied, before he got up and moved to the door, since the room wasn't one with a private bathroom.

As soon as the door came open, Nate was taken roughly by the shit and pulled up onto his toes- being shaken mercilessly.

"Near, you little creep!" A blonde boy was shouting in his face. "What are you and Matt up to, huh!?"

He continued to shake Nate relentlessly before Matt ran over to try and help the ivory-haired boy out.

Panic began to fill Nate's system, but he managed to stay calm - by the grace of god himself - and kept his voice even. "I don't believe that it is Mello's right to know."

"Eh?" Matt blinked.

"Don't give me that!" Mello shoved Nate back into the room- making him fall over onto Matt's floor- sprawled out.

Nate sat sill for a moment, a little bit stunned. Then his eyes went wide as he realized the back of Near's shirt had ridden up a little on his back, revealing the bottom of the large tattoo that covered most of it.

Mello stood in the doorway and blinked. This wasn't yet the sex symbol that Mihael was playing back home. This version of Mello was younger and wasn't dressed in tight leather, but all black. baggy and loose-fitting clothes- except for his feet, which were bare. His nails weren't even painted. He blinked down with those too blue to be true eyes at the tattoo on Nate's back.

From what Nate understood of Near, he was an extremely logical person... and it was Mello, after all, who wore the rosary - so it probably didn't make any sense to the blonde in the doorway why 'Near' all of the sudden had a large cross with wings wrapped around it tattooed on his back.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Mello burst- almost as if on cue.

"Fuck," Nate groaned, before he scrambled up and bolted for the closet door, trying to get away from the angry blonde.

"HEY!" Mello sprang and tackled Nate down- leaving Matt to jump on them both to pry them apart.

"Get off me!" Nate snapped, trying to shove Mello off. "Freaking A, you're heavier then I expected!"

"I'm not fat!" Mello snapped before gripping Nate's shirt again and shaking him violently. "Who are you!?"

"Mello, stop!" Matt pleaded.

"Ugh- Stop- Please- You're- Gonna- Give- Me- A- Concussion-!" Nate cried in desperation as he felt a headache coming on. "PLEASE-! MELLO-!"

"And you know who I am!" Mello growled- stopping for a moment, but still gripping Nate's shirt. "Who the hell are you!?"

Silent as the world spun for a moment, the white-haired boy took slow breaths. "Nathaniel River."

"Huh?" Mello blinked in surprise. "You're...River?"

"Why does everyone keep thinking that's weird?" Nate asked. "Is Near's real last name River, or something?"

"How do you know Near!?" Mello demanded Next- giving Nate a rough shake.

"Ow- STOP!" Nate snapped, bringing his knee up to hit Mello in the stomach before he roughly threw the blonde off of him. "My gosh, you are a bully!"

Mello coughed and hit the floor- holding his stomach a moment before he growled and got back up- charging at Nate.

Years of the street took over and Nate dodged Mello's attempt to tackle him, before throwing his weight into the blonde and sending them both crashing to the ground, the smaller boy on top of the teenager in black.

Mello rolled on the floor- hissing with anger and reaching up to take a handful of Nate's hair- cocking his fist back.

Nate glared at him with a look that was so very un-Near, despite their similar features, that it was almost breath-taking. "Go on, hit me! Pussy!"

There was a momentary pause- who could have helped it -when Mello only blinked at Nate in surprise- giving Nate more than enough time.

But Nate didn't react. He didn't break Mello's hold or try to fight him off... what would it prove? What would it help? The blonde would just get even more mad and attack him again. Best let the idiot hit him and when he refused to reply, Mello would grow bored and stop.

Wasn't that the rule of bullies?

"Mello!" Matt grabbed Mello's wrist during the pause. "Knock it off man!"

Mello whirled on the redhead and shoved him.

"Who is this!?" Mello demanded as Matt sprawled on the floor. "Where's Near!?"

"Leave him alone!" Nate snapped, glaring at Mello. "Your gripe is with me, right? So leave Matt out of this! And trust me, if I knew where Near was, I wouldn't be here!"

"You stay out of this." Mello pointed at Nate before an idea struck him and he wriggled out from under Nate- grabbing up Matt roughly from the floor instead.

"Oh please... Aren't you supposed to be a genius?" Nate groaned. "Using him as bait? I just met him! Hell, if I knew my mother, I wouldn't even let you use her as bait! I've lived on the streets, kiddo! Your pissy temper tantrums don't scare me!"

"Thanks...Nate." Matt sighed before he was thrown into the ivory-haired boy.

"And what if I get the staff involved?" Mello asked.

"They already know." Matt- rubbing his head.

"Roger and the chick with the glasses already know I'm here," Nate informed, lifting an eyebrow. "...They thought I was Near. It was only until some freaky chick told them I wasn't that they shut up. Oh, and I talked to L."