"Oh? Did you?" Next asked him, tilting his head and hugging his maroon jacket around himself.

For a moment he watched Mello, before he looked across the grave yard - reading all of the different letters and names on the tombstones.

"...Beyond comes every year...at the same time...to put a new straw doll on A's grave." Mello murmured. "Every year at the same time...was it his birthday? The day they first met? The last day he saw him or the day he died?"

"I can't tell you," Next whispered. "A was before my time at Wammys... Before Matt's and N-"

He cut himself off, shaking his head.

"I guess they were close," He whispered. "Its kind of sad... there are so many names here I don't know..."

"These aren't even their real names." Mello said darkly. "Those are long gone...oblivion, Next...gone and forgotten. Did they deserve that?"

"No," Next sighed. "Just as they didn't deserve to die the way that they did... but you and I both know that they had a choice, Mello. That anyone can leave Wammy's and start over..."

He paused and slowly moved over to the grave that he had found Near in front of only hours ago.

"...Well, some of them had a choice," He whispered.

"...What if he really didn't?" Mello asked. "What if he wasn't staying because he wanted to...but because he thought he had to?"

"Because he didn't want to leave his brother..." Next whispered, before he frowned and turned to Mello. "Or... maybe it wasn't his brother that he didn't want to leave...?"

"I know, you want to say it." Mello said- not taking his eyes of Naveen's grave. "Near...he didn't understand...I couldn't say it right."

Next stared at him for a moment, before he turned back toward the grave. "Probably because his heart keeps telling him that he's Naveen, but his mind, body, and soul are still his own..."

He slowly turned back toward Mello, wrapping his coat tighter.

"I wont start bursting into sobs," He informed. "You are welcome to explain yourself to me. I promise not to be bias."

"Why not?" Mello turned to look at the smaller boy. "I might as well have done it myself, right?"

"Done what?" Next asked, frowning at the blonde.

"...That night...when I..." Mello closed his eyes. "When Near came to me...and it came...the rings and the idea...like L had probably predicted it, but if that was the case...I thought M and N were falling for each other...Naveen didn't seem badly hurt."

Next shifted a bit, his breath coming out in small puffs of smoke. After a moment he prompted Mello to go on.

"...I was sure he understood when I told him...I was marrying his brother." Mello said. "I could tell it hurt, but he didn't seem destroyed."

"So then... why do you blame yourself?" Next asked after another short silence, not wanting Mello to slip into a quiet, self-hating mode.

"...But then M showed up...and I thought he knew about me and Naveen and I just started talking." Mello frowned. "I thought he was there to talk to me about...Naveen and me."

Slowly, Next let out a breath as he began to realize the situation.

He moved closer and gently put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Mello... you remember that I was there, don't you? When M..." He frowned, slowly. "And you remember what I said? That it was B that drove him to do that...? That he was going on and on about how they were pawns of Wammys...? It had nothing to do with you..."

"...I told him...where he could find Naveen." Mello said- looking right into Next's eyes. "I told him...because I thought they needed to talk...that they could fall in love like Near and I did...like I thought was already happening in the first place."

"M did love Naveen," Next whispered. "Very much... and up until now, I thought Naveen returned those feelings. We all did... M would have found him without you pointing him in the direction. He wasn't exactly hard to find..."

The white haired boy gave a gentle sigh.

"You can't blame yourself for something that happened back then," He went on. "And you can't dwell on it... it happened and yes, the repercussions of your actions are causing a fight with your husband but he loves you, Mello. You need to work through this if you want to keep him..."

"It was his brother." Mello said. "His brother and...me."

"But it was before you two, right?" Next pressed. "You two didn't fall in love until New York and you and Naveen broke up right after... right?"

His eyes were desperate... he wanted to believe in the best in his friend. But at the same time, he was hurt that he was never told... how long had Mello been with Naveen? Had he loved him? Was their relationship strictly about sex?

"All before New York...and I didn't say anything to N before me and Near decided to get married." Mello shook his head. "It was one night...one night and it was...was all over and just starting."

"All before..." Next whispered, unable to keep the hurt off of his features. "H-how long...?"

Mello was quiet a moment before he reached out and cupped Next's cheek gently- his palm warm against the smaller boy's skin.

"...Why do you have to hurt for that?" Mello asked. "It wasn't trust that kept me quiet."

"I'm not..." Next sighed, shaking his head - he wouldn't lie to Mello. "I thought... we were closer then that. And you'd tell me about Naveen..."

He sighed a bit, rubbing his upper arms.

"This isn't about me," He informed. "It hurts, but its nothing compared to the pain Near is going through."

"You're hurt matters too...it wasn't about closeness Next." Mello said.

"It really doesn't matter," Next assured him a second time. "You have your reasons for not telling me and telling them to me now isn't going to change how things happened, Mello... you need to focus on Near right now."

"...I'm always going to focus on Near." Mello said. "Near's my husband Next...I love him and I'll always love him."

Mello took Next hand in both of his and squeezed it.

"I love you too." Mello told him softly. "And I can't tell you why I never said anything."

"It doesn't matter," Next assured. "And I want you to focus on Near, Mello. He needs you... he's falling apart at the seems. You need to be there to put him back together..."

He shook his head slowly, pulling his hands from Mello's and placing them on the blonde's cheeks.

"At first he probably will push you away," Next informed. "Because he's hurt and the wounds are raw... but after that he's going to want you to push and push. To let him know that you still love him and that you care that he's in pain. Don't give up on him... got it?"

"...I don't want it to be too soon." Mello said. "Or I'll push him away instead...what's he doing now?"

Next winced a little and mumbled, "...Crying on Linda."

Mello of course knew that Linda being involved meant two things...

One- that Near was too distraught for even Matt to handle the situation, since emotions seemed to wear the redhead down faster then going days without sleep did (though that wasn't saying much, since Matt was a gamer)...

And Two- that Mello was going to get his ass kicked when Linda finally tore herself from Near and moved to confront him... because no doubt she would be told the entire situation and wouldn't stop to listen to his side of the story.

"I gotta get back there." Mello sighed heavily and shook his head. "...Wait...how did you get here? Did you drive?"

The boy blinked at him in surprise. "...I'm not old enough to drive, Mello. I walked, of course..."

"Damn it Next!" Mello snapped- taking the boy's hand and starting to lead him off. "You're going to freeze to death out here!"

He started to trudge towards the gates of the cemetery grounds with the boy in tow behind him.

"I have a coat on!" Next protested with a deep frown. "And I'm not even cold! I don't see what the big deal is... you're wearing less then me!"

"Cold doesn't bother me." Mello sighed. "You'll never survive out in this weather Next."

Mello walked over to his motorcycle and swung one leg over it.

With a huff(lepuff), Next climbed on behind him and put on the offered helmet, before wrapping his arms around Mello's waist.

"Cold doesn't bother me either," The blonde thought he heard the boy mumble.

Not so surprising when considering that Next was always so unusually warm, he supposed- even when they were little kids, Mello had noticed. He brought the engine roaring to life and peeled out towards the hospital- leaving the cemetery and Naveen behind.

...But could he really do that? Could he really just move on like that?

Especially with Naveen's heart beating in Near's chest, now... would it always weigh on Near that he had been his brothers before his own? Would it tear the loving memory that Near had of his twin away from him...?

That was the last thing that Mello had wanted... It was still the last thing he wanted...

He remembered honey eyes looking up at him behind thick lashes... a secret smile... curled dark hair and soft skin before he'd had it lightened... Remembered the way Naveen always smelled like Honey and the way he'd cover his mouth when he laughed...

Those times were so distant now in even the short span of time between. Times that were so magical and warm that it was like being in a dream. It was a dream...one that he hadn't wanted to wake from. But the grim reality of it all had sobered him- brought him back into terrible consciousness. And his only comfort had been the one person he'd never wanted to lie to, keep from or hurt...now look at where it had gotten him.