"Where is Next?" Near asked him, removing the mask from his face. "Shouldn't you be with him?"

"He with the kids right now back home." Matt replied. "Near, keep the mask on."

"I can breathe just fine!" Near snapped. "Next almost killed Zero... he needs you right now."

"And who's gonna watch you!?" Matt demanded.

The door burst open loudly and a certain blonde stepped in.

"I am." He said firmly.

"Mels!" Matt breathed.

Near's eyes flashed darkly, before they slowly narrowed and he turned to look at Matt.

His eyes were both dark, but pleading - it was obvious he didn't want the redhead to leave.

"...Maybe I should stick around a bit-" Matt began before Mello pulled him out of his chair roughly and drug him over to the door.

"Matt-!" Near cried in alarm, reaching for the door as Mello threw the redhead out and closed it. "What did you do that for-!?"

"What happened?" Mello asked- turning to Near. "Keep the mask on and breathe."

Near's eyes narrowed and Mello could see that he was trying to figure something out.

Slowly, the white-haired boy leaned back and replaced the mask.

"...You seem to be doing fine." Mello commented as he moved over to take the seat Matt had previously occupied. "I heard you almost killed yourself yesterday."

"I wanted answers," Near whispered, after lifting the mask. "I got them, so it was worth it."

"Answers?" Mello blinked. "...Near, you stole an ambulance and went to a graveyard in the middle of ice-cold winter."

"And I found something there," Near whispered, his eyes very cold as he stared at Mello. "Something that you told me you'd lost... on Naveen's grave..."

He reached over to the desk and pulled a long rosary off of the table.

Mello eyes flashed with surprised for a moment before they narrowed.

"That's a rosary." He said flatly.

"Its a Rosary," Near confirmed. "With your name on the back of it."

"I paid my respects." Mello crossed his arms and looked away.

Turning the rosary around in his fingers, Near pulled it close and peered at it. "My eye sight is poor," He reminded. "...But Matt's is pretty good."

Mello felt the tension rise between them.

"To Mello," Near read, although he couldn't actually see the writing. "With love... Naveen."

Mello was silent, not looking at Near as he sat rigid in his seat.

A moment of silence passed between them before Near whispered, "Is this... why you married me?"

"What do you mean?" Mello mumbled.

"Because I am his brother..." Near whispered. "Because... I look like him..."

"Near...that day...when you and I decided to get married..." Mello started- still not looking at Near. "I...I had to break someone's heart..."

"Who?" Near whispered, looking away.

"...Naveen's." Mello said almost too quietly to hear.

Near fell silent and after a moment, Mello heard the heart machine turn off. He jumped, turning to to see that Near was climbing from the bed, pulling the IV out.

"Near!" Mello got up and started to move around the bed.

"Don't touch me!" Near snapped, turning to glare at Mello as he approached. "Just... just get out!"

"...Near..." Mello took a breath. "I thought that when M came to me, it was about me and Naveen...I didn't know he'd talked to Backup already."

"M came to you?" Near snapped, turning to glare at the blonde. "What do you mean, M came to you?"

"I mean that M came to me...you know that he was crushing on Naveen." Mello shook his head. "They were sorta a...a thing...and when he came to me, I thought he was there because of me and your brother...but Beyond had already gotten to him...I had no idea what he was really going to do...I told him where Naveen was...I thought he was going to go and be with him...maybe comfort him even."

Near stared at him - his face completely unreadable - for a few moments. Then, slowly, he breathed out... "Mello never told me... that he told M where Naveen was. That M asked him..."

"...You know what happened next." Mello said- shaking his head slowly. "...You know why I didn't tell you..."

"...I need time," Near whispered, his voice barely loud enough to hear. He turned away, giving Mello his back... something he hadn't done since the case in New York. "...I need... I need time alone. To think..."

"Near, I didn't know it would happen like that." Mello came closer to Near. "When you proposed..."

"Get OUT!" Near screamed, his shoulders extremely tense.

Mello moved back- blinking. When had Near ever go off like that?

Near's entire body was shaking... growing more and more violent with every passing second that Mello stood there in shock.

He suddenly grabbed hold of the tray beside the bed and turned, throwing it toward the blonde. It crashed to the ground in front of him.

Matt could hear the loud crash from outside.

"...Near?" Mello frowned.

Matt started for the door quickly- grabbing the handle.

"Get OUT!" Near shrieked as Matt threw open the door, his eyes full of hurt... he had tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Near?" Matt blinked and Mello looked back at the redhead in total surprise. "What's going on?"

Mello moved past Matt and stepped into the hall.