WARNINGS: Rated NC-17/R-18 (whatever it is depending on your country of origin), yaoi (boy x boy sex), OC, random OOC-ness, made-up past memoirs, some coarse language, some violence, graphic & explicit under-aged sexual content.

PREDATOR

PART 1: NEIAR

WINCHESTER, UK, 2005.

It was like that time again.

I thought it was well behind me, I thought it was over.

And I sure never wanted to even think about it again.

So when Roger introduced us, it was a pre-emptive strike.

The look in his eyes made me all but turned away reflexively.

His fervent, predatory eyes, as if threatening to kill anyone in sight.

His almost platinum-blonde hair, perfectly and ironically framing his devilish countenance.

My mind trailed 5 years back on its own, back to the year 2000. The whole fuss about the New Millennium was still fresh everywhere, even though I was only about 10.

She had the same platinum blonde hair. The same eerie smile. Even the same preference for black.

And I get an extra jolt in my subconscious everytime I hear someone call him "Mel." And God forbid it was so contagious I had to try so hard sometimes to concentrate on saying "Mello", but I inevitably succumbed to the single-syllable habit.

Just like that time.

Just like her.

Only her name wasn't short for Mello. It was Mellina.

Mellina Merls Deward. The name I tried so hard to forget but still stubbornly attached itself to me until now.

Mellina, with her perfect image and her flawless reputation.

Strangely enough, Mello was slightly less unnerving.

Because at least he was honest. Because at least his blatant defiance to every single thing he saw was there for everyone to see.

There was just one thing in common between them.

Neither of them were stupid.

"Hi, I'm Mellina. You can call me Mel." So she introduced herself 5 years ago. She was the very first person who actually came up and talked to me.

"Oh, hi. I'm Neiar." I think I said that back then...rather nervously. The next thing I remembered was her making a comment about the complexity of the jigsaw puzzle I was working on.

I hadn't stayed there long. The next orphanage I ended up in had the exact same Mel, but a totally different person. For starters, he was a boy.

And then not long after that...

"Mello, I want you to say hello to Neiar." So Roger has introduced us.

"Hi. Neiar."

"Hi. Mello. Pwissed to meet you." he responded with a mock smile then shot off somewhere.

Roger had shrugged off his unmannerly attitude, and looked at me apologetically. Not that I cared.

Mello's dark shirt and pants that swept the floor was as scruffy-looking as he was. That and the weird mix of Cockney-Cornish twang in his accent. But his unmistakable platinum blonde hair was a guarantee for something more. And I was right.

Mello was smart. Not just academically-smart, but manipulative, meticulous, perfectionist smart. His strategies and plans were almost flawless that he was sure to get whatever he wanted.

That was until, apparently, I came along and ruined his fun. I never meant for that to happen, but once I started to see the effects of what I was doing, I couldn't stop myself.

It became addictive. Especially knowing what it did to him.

Being put in the same room with him didn't make the situation any easier either.

It always fascinated me how he could eat so much chocolate at one time. It was like a drug to him. Maybe that was what made him rather hyperactive too? I don't know. All I know is, he had picked fights with me more than once. And for some obvious reason it mostly took place the day we get our school work results back. In a weird masochistic way, watching his reactions became an interesting pastime for me.

I wasn't scared of Mel. He just made me...uncomfortable. I was sure the whole orphanage was more scared of him than I was.

And I'd be lying if I said it wasn't because of his uncanny resemblance to Mellina.

Once I spotted him got into a fight with three or more boys who were slightly older than him. I just happened to walked past while collecting plant samples for a science project. But my head was so full of things I wasn't sure what exactly happened even though it occurred right under my nose. The next thing I knew one of the older kid was screaming in pain holding his bleeding hand. Rumours then spread about how Mel liked to carry a random sharp object around and could harm just about anyone. He was suspended from school for a couple of days. But then the rumours died down after about a month.

Truth is, I really, really couldn't care less. All I want is to keep busy.

Perhaps...anything to forget about the other Mel. Although that was only a small part of the reason.

"Neiar, you're so smart." She had said that once. And me being me, just pretended to struggle with the worksheet I was working on sheepishly. "How you can solve such complicated problems is beyond me."

"Mel, it's just simple arithmetics".

Neiar, you're so smart.

It was more the way she said it than what she said.

Not that I wanted to think about it right now.

"You just have to show off, don't you, you vain sod?" Mel barged into the room, chocolate in one hand, crumpled paper in the other. The fact that he had no respect for anyone including me was no surprise.

I didn't budge from my jigsaw puzzle. Knowing that the past Mel and the current Mel was so different yet so similar from each other was probably what I found the most disturbing. And so he scoffed and threw himself on my bed (with his shoes still on) and pulled out another huge chocolate bar.

"Feh. Stupid geezers just came off me. But so what?"

I'm no worse than you, Neiar.

He'd said that a million times. It wasn't as if I'd forget.

Then before I knew it he jumped over and hissed in my face.

"Well one day 'e'll come off you too."

I never got to really find out what it was that made him so hell-bent on outsmarting me in the first place.

But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't one bit fun.

Was I doing it because of Mello or...Mellina?

Days like this went on for quite a while. And sometimes, as much as I hated it, my mind still trailed back to back when I was 10. Back when Mellina was around.

There was one afternoon where I spotted her having some trouble with a tiny music box. Frustration was written all over her face.

"Something the matter, Mel?"

"My music box...it won't go...I can't turn the thing..."

"Let me have a look." So I fiddled around with it, and it turned out that something was stuck to its bottom clasp, which was why she couldn't turn the button.

"Oh, wow, it works! Thanks, Neiar."

"No wo..."

And before I knew it, she bent over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

God.

I could still remember the setting. The curtains were blown by the wind above our heads and the twinkling sounds of the music box added to the surreal atmosphere. We were two little ten-year-olds stunned by what just happened for a short moment. Then she broke out a giggle and gave me an embarrassed look. Lucky no one saw us, otherwise the other kids would've teased us to no end.

"What was that?" I think I asked something like that after being dumbstruck for quite awhile.

"Um...I saw it on TV...if you thank someone...you give them...a kiss?" she had said sheepishly.

Trust a girl to let mushy TV stuff get to her.

But that was just the start.

BANG!

"Why won't this bloody thing behave!"

Suddenly I wasn't 10 anymore. Mello was right in front of me banging on the printer which apparently refused to print his documents.

So I reflexively reached over to check if there was any paper stuck.

"Piss off! I don't need your help!" he snapped and shoved my hand aside. I could only wince...I shouldn't have been too taken aback.

There was only the two of us in the library...at this hour anyway. Luckily for us, the printer finally surrendered to Mel's violent treatment and regurgitated stacks of papers.

The way he sometimes looked at me...

I shuffled back to my chair uncomfortably.

...so full of hate.

"You must understand, Neiar. Mello has had a...complicated past," Roger once told me.

Didn't we all have complicated pasts around here?

"I'm sure that it's nothing personal."

He would've done the same to anyone who outdid him in any way.

I figured.

"However, no one is allowed to do any harm to anyone or themselves around here. And if it gets to that stage, we will surely take actions."

What actions, really?

I never once complained about it to anyone. It was between me and my own Mel demons. However, it must've been quite obvious to anyone who saw the way he behaved around me.

Or maybe even the way I behaved around him.

Neiar, Neiar...

I swore I could still sometimes hear her voice calling me.

Even her smell. A distinguished mixture of magnolia and sandalwood.

I think it was from that time...

There was this one time that Mellina had to be away for a few days to join a camp group somewhere near Dorset. And when she came back, she brought me this tiny packet of toffee.

But not after she gave me a hug.

A hug.

I was frozen for a while, suddenly having trouble breathing normally as her arms around my neck constricted my air passage.

All I had was her smell around me.

"I've missed you."

"What?"

"I said I've missed you. Why didn't you join the camp?"

I really had no idea how to answer that. So the next thing I mumbled out was something stupid like, "Why did you miss me?"

"Because out of everyone here, I like Neiar the most," she had said that in the most matter-of-factly way possible.

Like the current Mel, the Mel back then was also terribly honest...although for totally different reasons. Subtlety was one thing neither of them was good at.

I remembered seeing a bright pink flush forming swiftly across her face.

But her eyes were so full of...affection.

For me.

Can one ever fake such an affectionate look?

I couldn't remember much after that except for the fact that the toffee she got me was delicious.

But that was 5 years ago.

"You just have to eat my chocolate, don't you!" Mello's voice was blaring around the room. The other kids hurried away, as if fearing a rainstorm coming.

"Look, it was on the table, in the playroom, and it bloody well didn't have your name labelled on it!" I snapped back.

That time I really wasn't in the mood to take any of his shit.

It wasn't like he couldn't get any more.

Once or twice was alright. It was just Mel being Mel. But it does get to you after a while.

"But you know that I'm the only one who eats Cadbury around here?"

"Oh sod off, the world doesn't always revolve around you, you know!"

I don't even usually say things like that.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me."

He totally lost it, and grabbed me by the collar. And all I did was limiting his movements by taking hold of his wrists.

"You stuck-up little gobslutch. Just because you think you're so much better than everyone else here doesn't give you the right to fuck around."

"I did not fuck around. All I said was..."

"Exactly! That should be my line! The world doesn't revolve around you, oh fuck it, the world doesn't bow at your bloody feet, Neiar!"

"Get off me."

"Not until you replace my chocolate."

"Look Mel..."

"Mello! Neiar! Stop at once! The both of you!"

Roger shouted across the room, and we both knew better than to continue.

That night I had a dream about Mellina. Not that it was any consolation.

Instead, I felt a disaster coming.

Because out of everyone here, I like Neiar the most.

And I actually believed those words!

But then again, it was 5 years ago.

This Mel said the exact opposite things. I hate you. If I was drowning somewhere and you were the last person on earth, I prefer drowning. I hate the way you show off like that. I hate the way you act like you're better than everyone else. I hate the way you play with your hair. Stuck-up bitch. Lazy sod. Arrogant arse. Attention whore. Gobslutch. Raspberry.

I've heard it all. Every single swear word you can find in the English Dictionary. If it wasn't in there, Mel would be more than happy to invent one.

But again, at least he was honest.

And I'd rather have days filled with blatant in-your-face attacks than anything else.

Days then turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months.

Once, Mello totally went berserk on me over a stupid little report. We had to do a minor research paper that week for classical history. I could still remember the topic, we were supposed to compare between Roman and Greek mythical gods. And we both failed it because apparently our reports were almost identical the teacher accused us of plagiarising each other's work.

There was no other explanation except that we both happened to use the exact same book and browsed the exact same website.

And intellectual coincidence. If there was such a phrase.

Which was also around the time when I noticed Mel was starting to wear a rosary-type thing. I had no idea where he got it from or if he really was a Catholic, but he had this sudden fascination with crosses and the likes. Sometimes he had it around his neck, sometimes his wrists. Maybe he had always had a fascination with rosaries, I just never noticed.

It made things worse.

Ironically I was the only one on the boat.

And that definitely did it.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you!" Mel was growling and shoving me to random directions.

"Please, don't flatter yourself." I pushed him back.

"Stuck up son of a bitch!" he backed me into a wall right beside one of the bookshelves in the leisure room and spat the next array of profanities in my face.

His maniacal glare and monstrous pale face never ceased to stun me. Although over the years I've gotten used to it, they still send shivers down my spine at times.

Especially when you were this close to him.

"Get off me!" I shoved him away and he tightened his grip. Our struggles only forced us both into a dodgy position which took the balance off and backed us into a corner.

It was me who landed on the floor first. The next thing I knew we were a tangled heap on the warm carpeted surface covered with books, magazines and newspapers. I was sure everyone in the orphanage could've heard the train of banging noises.

"Urgh!" I heard Mel struggling on top of me, and I noticed a cut on his arm.

"I told you to get off me."

"Shut yer gob." And he all but grabbed my collar again, pinning me down with his whole weight. His hard and bony figure pressed down hard, hurting my chest. His breath was hot against my face and tinged with a faint smell of chocolate...but the rest of him was cold.

"Mel..."

When he leaned closer to my face I didn't see Mel.

Those eyes...

I almost saw the other Mel.

Neiar, Neiar.

Stop!

Neiar...

His rosary was dangling around his neck, the crucifix pendant swaying back and forth in my face.

I have something for you.

No...

I want you to keep this.

The cross...

I said, stop!

I must've said that out loud because I saw a slight glint of surprise in his eyes. I kicked and hit around like I never did before, sending him rolled over to his back.

It wasn't like we never got into a physical fight before.

We continued to struggle for a little while amongst the literary objects, but I was pretty sure it wasn't that long because pretty soon I felt myself being dragged up by a whole bunch of kids and the same thing happening to Mel. We spent the rest of the night cleaning the whole leisure room.

And that was the start of something disastrous.

That night for some reason I had a bit of a fever, and I dreamt about what I thought I'd successfully got over in the past 5 years.

Turned out that I hadn't completely forgotten it.

I wish I had, though.

But what could I do? I guess things that happened in your childhood years tend to haunt you for life.

It was just another blustering autumn day, and as soon as Mrs.Cartwright, the dormitory head said something along the lines of "We have a visitor today", everyone was suddenly at their best behaviour.

Because it could only mean one thing. One of us might get adopted. Which was by far one of the best things that could happen to anyone in an orphanage. Save for the prospect of leaving behind those you've grown close to at the orphanage. I knew that every single one of us secretly wished to be one of those lucky ones. But to stand the chance, you had to be, well...special.

I'd be lying if I said I'd hate to be adopted. I mean, I wasn't all obsessed over it, but if I did get adopted, it wasn't like I'd say no.

And apparently that day I was going to be one of the lucky ones.

Well, almost.

"What's your name, lad?"

He was a friendly gentleman, with a bit of an Irish accent, probably in his early forties.

"Neiar, Sir."

"Why, Neiar, what unusual name you have there." Then he went on to introduce himself, and told me the tragic story of how his wife and two kids died in an accident.

I never forgot his name. Mr.O'Donaughue.

He then left me to have a chat with Mrs.Cartwright, and I briefly overheard her mentioning how intelligent I was and how I was 'special' and blah blah blah.

Suddenly it made me think of Mel. What if that gentleman did decide to adopt me? What if I really was going to leave this place?

And leave her?

Can't he adopt Mel as well? So we can be step-siblings?

What the hell was I thinking?

"Neiar!"

This time she really was there. It wasn't just in my head.

She was standing by the door to my room. And I was still fiddling around with my jigsaw pieces.

"Mel?"

She shuffled inside and sat right beside me. "I heard that gentleman was talking to Mrs.Cartwright."

"It's not really nice to eavesdrop, you know, Mel." I said dryly. Well, what was I supposed to say?

"I heard him talking about adopting you."

She searched my eyes and I nervously glanced at her. There was a look in her face which I couldn't quite explain. Maybe not as a 10-year-old. But even now I didn't know what it was.

"Well, um..."

"Congratulations, hey." she said.

"Look Mel, I still don't know..."

"Well, supposed it really happens...I'm happy for you."

I looked at her dumbly, and I think I felt a smile crept up my face.

"I will miss you, though."

Suddenly swallowing became abit tricky.

"I...know."

I wish we could leave this place together as brothers and sisters...

I remembered thinking that.

There was a dramatic silence for a moment. "Well, in case you really are leaving this place..."

"Hm?"

She reached into her skirt pockets, and took out something shiny...and expensive-looking. "I have something for you."

It was a necklace, with a crucifix pendant. It looked rather large or lengthy to be a necklace. It was more like a simplified version of a rosary. The cross was a brilliant silvery colour, the afternoon light reflected on it created an ethereal glint, adding to its holy appearance.

I must've been mesmerised for quite a while as I've never seen a piece of jewellery in real life before, only in books. It must've been quite dear too.

"I want you to keep this." Was the next thing I heard Mel said.

"Mel, I can't possibly..."

"Neiar, please..." There was something about the way she said it that totally silenced me. She took my hand in hers, set the necklace in my palms and clasped her hand on top of it.

"Thank...you..."

"Just...don't forget me, alright?" she said sheepishly.

I didn't know what to do. Or say.

So I kissed her. Quickly. Nervously. Discreetly.

I'd like to think that all 10-year-olds would kiss that way.

Her lips were paper-dry and cold. But her smell was unmistakably Mellina.

"Never."

Her smile widened. And I think mine did as well.

"I'll never forget you."

And I've kept my word. Even until now.

Although I wish I didn't have to.

But it was for an entirely different reason.

Mellina, sweet little Mellina. Mellina with her blonde hair and her innocent face and doll-like wide eyes and sweet English smell and her toffees and her cross necklace. Back then, that was all that mattered to me.

All I could think of was the fact that I didn't have anything to give her back.

To my Mel.

My only friend.

What more could a 10-year-old orphan think of? Want? Need?

But things were never as simple as a 10-year-old's image of life.

Because that night, when Mrs.Cartwright barged into my room and demanded for a cross necklace, I couldn't say a word.

Because when that Irish gentleman-who was suddenly not so gentle anymore-looked at me with utter anger when he saw it dangling around my neck, I was as confused as a lost dog.

"You stole this from Mr.O'Donaughue." Mrs.Cartwright said it with a sad face, and forced me to take it off.

"Neiar, we never taught you to steal from anyone."

I must've gone temporarily mute.

"Wh-what? I didn't know...I got that from Mel!" I stammered when I finally found my voice back.

But it didn't change a thing. Both adults were still looking at me coldly.

"What are you talking about? Mellina was the one who told us that she saw it in your room. Mr.O'Donaughue had been looking for it for hours!"

"Mrs.Cartwright, Sir, I swear..."

"Could you just give me that back? It has quite a sentimental value for me," Mr.O'Donaughue's words were the last thing I heard before he looked at me with a look that spoke a mixture of perplex and disappointment.

"Neiar, we are going to talk about this tonight. Now you stay in your room and you are not going anywhere until further notice."

"But..."

SLAM!

The next thing I discovered was the fact that Mellina had been adopted by Mr.O'Donaughue shortly after the incident.

I never saw either of them ever again since then.

And by the next day, the news about Neiar the Jewellery Snatcher had spread around the entire house.

At one stage, I even believed it. Everyone else was so convinced that I was a lying bastard that I almost believed what they were saying was true and my own memory somehow got screwed up.

A mere denial of the truth. She set me up.

So I kept saying to myself.

But until now, that was the only way I remembered it.

Everything else was a blur after that until somehow I ended up being transferred to the Quillsh Wammy House. It was way better than the gloomy house where Mellina was. I rarely saw Mr.Wammy himself, but his counterpart, Roger was very kind to me. He said whatever happened in the past should stay there.

It did stay there.

Until Mello came along.

But at least he never hid anything from me...or anyone. I think it would've scared me more if he was acting otherwise.

I personally never intended to ignite a silent but bitter rivalry between us. But once I accidentally did it I just couldn't stop.

Science. Maths. Languages. History. Art. Everything.

All the things that Mel aced, I could do better.

Maybe he outdid me in P.E, but everything else, I was always first in line.

Whether it was a subconscious attempt on torturing a mere memory of Mellina in my head or simply a way to avoid boredom was beyond me.

But there was no mistaking the flicker of satisfaction and warm feeling that I got everytime Mel looked at his work and then mine with bewilderment. Or when the whole class flocked around me to compare their work to mine or ask for tips on how to pass the next assessment task.

His eyes never left me. Even when we were in the classroom concentrating on our work, I could feel the sting of his icy stare behind me from the corner of the room.

And the fact that the teacher often point to me when both Mel and I put our hands up to answer a question didn't make it any better either.

But I knew that deep down, I was smiling.

Until that night.

I remembered it like the back of my hand. I remembered it like a recurring nightmare.

For some reason, the history teacher had assigned us to work together on a project. And we all knew it was a war waiting to happen.

The library was more than quiet at 9.30PM. And the fact that Mel was always the last one down had been common knowledge. The librarian even trusted him to lock up and take care of some duties. Because no matter how much of an arrogant, intimidating and foul-mouthed yob he can be, his academic record and his involvement with all school-related activities were near-perfect. And he'd always done his given tasks brilliantly and responsibly.

Not that it made it any easier for us to get along.

The tension between us was obvious from the very first moment we met.

And that made him fascinating. So fascinating that I just had to make him tick at every chance I got.

Maybe if he weren't around I would've gone mad.

But it wasn't any different now that he was around.

"Neiar, how many times do I have to bloody tell you that this is not what we're looking for! The Marie Antoinette affairs are completely irrelevant to this aspect of the French Revolution!"

Mel was sitting on the table beside me while I was flicking through books on the near-by shelf.

"But she was the one who pretty much drove the country bankrupt in the first place and lead the people to revolt against the monarchs...lest you forget." I didn't bother to even look at him.

"Yeah well, but this book is totally irrelevant, we're supposed to be focusing on the economical aspect!"

"It's there, Mel! Have you read the book?"

"Have you read the book, Neiar! It's pretty much a cheesy romance novel!"

"It has details of her expenses and so the royal family's finances!"

I was irritated as hell, but suppressed it anyway.

"Well then since you love the book so much why don't you go find it!"

"I've compiled the economical structure, remember? It's your turn to link the expenses by the monarch that lead to the Revolution."

"Oh yeah? And why is that? Because you said so? Because you're so much better than everyone around that you can boss me around and do this report on your terms only? What am I, your bitch! Get real!" He shifted his leg and deliberately made a loud noise on the table.

"Oh stop being such a yob!"

"And stop being such a stuck-up little twit!"

I turned to look at him briefly, then went back to flicking through a copy of J.J Rousseau: The Contract of the People.

"Look, we are doing a report on the French Revolution, focusing on the economical aspect, alright!"

"Yes, but we are not doing a report on Marie Antoinette's sex life!"

"I should've known that's all there is in your head."

I didn't even know how I discovered that sentence.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If your mind wasn't so pre-occupied with all that vulgarity, you would've appreciated the book to be more relevant."

"Are you calling me a slag, Neiar?"

"I never said that."

"What's that got to do with anything!"

"I said I never said that! Look, what is your bloody problem with me! I never have anything against you, Mello."

It was so Mel. I should've never taken him seriously. I didn't know what made me stupid enough to let him get to me.

"Why, look at me, Mr.Self-Righteous. 'I don't know anything'. 'I'm innocent'. 'I'm perfect'. 'I'm so much better than everyone else'."

"Shut it." The rest, I could only manage a long sigh.

"You may fool everyone else with all your perfect, prestigious bollocks. But you don't fool me."

"I'm not listening to any of your irrelevant bollocks either, Mel."

"You think I don't know, do you? My my, what a surprise, our perfect Neiar's dirty little secret."

"You're babbling nonsense."

"I know what you did, my little Neiar..."

"Wow, I'm so interested," I replied sarcastically.

"I heard some interesting story about how you were almost adopted before you came here..."

He was fiddling with his rosary beads. I really wish I could tell him to stop.

"I'm not listening to you." I even almost managed a loud scoff.

"Why hello, Mr.Jewellery Snatcher..."

I will miss you, though.

I want you to keep this.

Neiar, we never taught you to steal from anyone.

Stop!

I said, STOP!

I didn't even know whether I said that out loud or not. I must've lost consciousness briefly, because the next thing I knew I had my hands around Mel's neck, pinning him down on the table.

I've never even knelt on a table before.

"Ne...Neiar..." he gripped my wrists tight, a pained expression on his face, but his wild and insane eyes looking straight back at me said it all.

I was right, wasn't I?

NO!

"You don't know shit about me, Mello."

I remembered saying that.

"Well, lookey lookey, our perfect Neiar's finally lost it!" he still managed to spew out the sentence...

SLAP!

"Don't fuck with me!"

That was all the more reason for him.

I should've known better.

A sudden burning pain around my chest area forced me to fall off the table as Mel successfully planted his kick on me.

Dragging himself off the table, a homicidal glare in his eyes, I could see him wiping a drop of blood from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand.

I did that?

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, Neiar."

I had my two hands holding my chest as I tried to get my breathing back to normal, not realising that Mel was already stepping closer towards me.

So try me.

With a demonic strength that I knew was undeniably Mel's, he dragged me to the floor and pinned my wrists above my head.

"Ahh!"

I writhed and turned, struggling to get him off me, but Mel was just as strong as I was...if not, stronger.

"Let go...Mello!"

Instead, he took one hand off my wrists and held my chin in place, forcing me to look straight at him.

"Now you're gonna have to do better than that."

So I spat at him.

Mel spat back at me in the form of a profanity, followed by a loud...

SMACK!

And this time it was his turn to slap me, louder and harder than how I did before.

"Ack!"

I felt a sting around the corner of my mouth, followed by a salty metallic taste. Warm blood started to trickle down my chin...and I couldn't help but wince.

But what happened next was beyond my imaginations. Something wet, warm and slick was sliding down my chin line, cleaning my blood up...

Mel was licking my blood off!

"Mel, what the fuck...!"

I tried to get him off me, wriggling around, twisting away, but to no success.

And that was when I was taken over by something I've never known in my entire life before.

What the...

What Mel just did to me was like a switch that turned something on deep inside me, waking up a monster that had been sleeping all along. It was totally new, totally alien to me. I didn't know whether it was good or bad, but one thing I was sure of, it was somewhat...enticing. It made my blood boil, like there was a chain of electrical impulses running through me uncontrollably, in multiple directions.

I suddenly felt...hot. Even though the room was rather cold. The heater had been turned off for quite a while.

What are you doing to me, Mel!

My eyes snapped shut, and to my dismay, I saw Mellina's face in the distance. I realised that she was probably the very first person who have come to the closest physical distance to me. I remembered kissing her...

Why am I thinking about this now, for God's sakes!

I forced my eyes back open and I could still see Mello peering down at me, as if he could see everything.

Even inside my thoughts.

Mel...

Neiar, Neiar...

I wanted to...to...what? What is it that I wanted to do?

When I looked up, he was licking his lips blissfully, a drop of blood escaping from one corner of his mouth. It was like...

"You taste so sweet, my dear Neiar..."

...an invitation.

When nature took its course, I was all too weak to resist.

I so wanted to say it wasn't me. But it was my hands that pulled Mel back down, it was my lips that pressed against his chin, it was my tongue that ran up to his mouth and tasted blood.

Was it his? Or mine? Is there any difference?

I felt him stiffened against me.

It was so...intimate.

Then I realised that the only thing closest to this that I've ever experienced before was kissing Mellina when I was 10.

Of course, this was far from that.

This was...worse? Or better?

When I realised that the drive to continue within me was beyond outsmarting my logical thought processes, all inhibitions had gone out the window.

"Why Neiar, never thought you had it in you..." he whispered against my ear.

One by one, things started sinking in. This wasn't some silly incident that randomly happens to 10-year-olds. I was 15 now, and for all I knew, Mel was the same age as me. And to think that I was now this close to him. He was a strange paradox, a mixture of femininity and masculinity. He had a sharp, rough and bony feel to his body yet his hair was feather soft, and his skin was silky smooth. He smelled...oddly good, rather girly.

Mel...

And that was when I realised I wanted to feel more of it. More of him.

Before I could think of my next move, Mel's lips started nibbling at my ear, which grew into naughtier teasing, turning into wet licks and suckling.

"Ahh!"

I shivered involuntarily, feeling ticklish, hot and feverish all at the same time. I couldn't quite find the right words to describe it, but at the moment I've got other things to worry about than finding the right words. Meanwhile, his hands gradually lost its grip around my wrists.

Why was Mel doing this to me?

But within seconds, the question turned to 'Why does it feel so...pleasurable?'

I wanted...more. From him. Of him. All over him.

So when I yanked Mel's hair and turned his head to face me, I didn't give him a chance to make any noise.

Thank...you...

Just...don't forget me, alright?

Like then, I kissed Mel.

But I surely didn't kiss Mello the way I kissed Mellina when I was 10.

I was surprised at my own audacity, wondering where did all that skill come from. I shoved my tongue in, molesting his mouth, drawing his hot breath into me. I tasted chocolate in his thick saliva, and it made me want him even more. And like a hungry animal, Mel responded, even more fiercely, as if not wanting to let me take control.

Well, I wasn't going to let him either.

ZRASH!

With all the strength left in me, I pushed him back, forcing him to fall back and rolled over so I was on top of him. Books and notes were thrown all over us, and I was pretty sure Mel was lying on top of a few books and notes as I felt one of my feet digging into a piece of paper.

"Uhh..."

He was hot, and every single one of his breath that seeped into my system was like a shot of life. An intoxicating force, maddening desire that left me wanting even more. This was Mello, his very breath, his very essence that was wild and wanton, violent and evil as it was.

The next thing I noticed was his slipping grip on my shoulder sleeves, which I wasn't sure how long it's been there for.

I pulled away from him to catch some breath, and when I looked down I saw what I thought I'd never see from him.

This was Mello, all of him, blatant and exposed beneath me. It was written all over his face. His dark eyes wide open and staring back at me, mad with desire. His pale face, framed by his platinum blonde hair, showed a streak of pink. His usually pale lips, now red and swollen, glistening with a mix of our saliva and blood.

I remembered thinking, I'd never get to see him as whole as he is now.

And it was all my doing.

Mel...

Before I had enough of the view, I heard him wrapping his hands around the back of my head and forced me back down, to his waiting hot mouth. This time, he invaded me with more vigour, more passion than before. It was as if his tongue was growing larger in my mouth.

Do I want this?

Do I want you, Mel?

He pulled back for a second and snickered. "You dirty little slag."

I didn't listen and continued devouring him. This time, my mouth trailed down to his chin, down the curve of his neck as I let him arching back against me, exposing more of that pale flesh to my waiting lips.

He was feverishly hot, I could almost detect his pulses and heartbeats racing and rattling beneath his sensitive skin.

"Aahhh..."

As my head went lower, my hands stayed up, reaching for whatever I could find and I let out a small sound as I felt him taking his fingers into his mouth, sucking on them, biting slightly.

I realised that I've pulled Mel's black shirt down to its limit, and if I wanted to get more flesh, I realised I'm gonna have to...

And that was when I spotted his rosary-style necklace.

I want you to keep this...

Mel, I can't possibly...

No!

I said, NO!

"What's the matter big boy, can't handle your own little demons?" Mel's sharp whispers taunted me and I pretended not to hear by yanking his shirt off, leaving his glittering rosary dangling across pale flesh.

And he did the same to my white shirt.

The cool air around us started settling in, and as I felt goosebumps starting to form around my skin, it forced me to press closer against Mel. As his rosary dug into my skin, I ignored the prospect of getting a cross-shaped mark on my chest by the end of it all.

He was warm, moving, and writhing beneath me...and very much enjoying tasting me. I was beginning to enjoy it more myself. His fingers reamed through my back, along the base of my spinal cord, and then back up again. His touches were...comfortable. And it generated warmth that I needed so much to fight the cold.

Now what?

Mel's next actions answered my questions. Like a boy possessed, he got up slightly off the ground and buried his head in my neck, kissing, sucking, licking, tasting every inch of my skin. One of his arm came up behind my neck, and played with my hair. I involuntarily arched up to his touches, wanting to get more...

I never thought the Mello I knew all this time could generate this kind of feelings by his touches...

"Ohh..."

Before I knew it, Mel's head went lower and he caught a nipple in his mouth, flicking his tongue along, drawing it into his mouth, and sucking it like a little infant would do to its nurturing mother.

But there was nothing infant about him. And there was nothing nurturing about me.

Not when every single contact with Mel at the moment shot straight between my legs.

This was what it was all about. This was what it all boiled down to.

Like a little boy who've just discovered lust in his life, I grabbed hold on to Mel and ran my hand down his body.

Did he feel the same?

Was it doing to him the same way it was doing to me?

What did I feel anyway?

It was...indescribable...purely instinctual...hormonal...

Sure, I've had wet dreams before.

Sure, I've felt the aching need to please myself and demanded release.

But it was no more than...a straight-forward biological process. It wasn't ignited by anything...concrete.

This was so much more. There was someone else involved. Someone who brought sparks into my soul. Someone feeding my needs and sharing his lust with mine. I never thought Mel was capable of bringing all this...desire into me. It was juvenile, raw and instinctive sexual energy.

And I'm drowning in it.

Suddenly everything became faster. I felt myself moving alot quicker as the blood in me continued to boil and an insistent, aching urgency somewhere in me demanded for attention.

Mel was rubbing against me now. He hung on to me like I was his dear life and as his mouth continued its venture all over my body or at least as far as he could reach, I realised that...

...I so wanted him to go lower.

Even lower than that.

I instinctively pushed his head down to where it felt the most uncomfortable.

I was so hard now I was in danger of coming in my pants anytime soon.

This time I was too powerless to do anything and Mel saw his chance to push me back down beneath him.

I caught a better glimpse of him and realised that he was just as helpless as I was. His platinum blonde hair tousled, his eyes now half-closed, his breaths coming in short rags, and the unmistakable bulge between his legs...

And he knew just what I wanted him to do. When his lips came crushing down on me and the warmth of his chest came into contact with mine along with his cold and sharp rosary, I had no choice but to kiss him back just as hard. My hands wrapped around him, running along his back, his spine, down to just above the slight curve of his bottom. Still, I want him to do more...

Touch me...

He went back to kissing me all over, then down to my neck, to my chest and down my stomach. When his silky smooth hair rubbed against my belly button, I couldn't help but arching back as the sensation sent a sharp jolt to my already aching erection.

"Mel..."

It was like he knew just what to do. A sudden sharp noise of a zipper being pulled down had me alternatively marvelling and dreading.

This was wrong, I knew that. But like any of us care at this moment.

It was so wrong, sinful...taboo...yet I couldn't stop. And I don't think Mel could either.

When he kissed me back, it felt like he clogged up my brain, blocking out everything else. All there was was the darkness, the lust, and this creature that Mel was, giving me pleasure like I've never felt before.

I wanted to make him feel the way he made me feel.

I realised I wanted to break him.

His smooth skin was hot and heavy against mine, twisting and rattling with ragged breaths and heartbeats.

And it scared me more than it normally does. When it was just our daily bickering and other things, all I saw was hate and sharp threats in his eyes. We were simply rivals, always on each other's case, always on each other's minds.

And now, we were doing things to each other that we should probably never do. It scared me more now that I was getting addicted to it.

It was...complicated.

I was so aroused beyond anything I could hardly think except anticipating what Mel would do next. And I got my answer as he tugged on my pants and pulled them down, exposing my aching and throbbing flesh to the cold air.

Touch me...

What I got instead was a tight grip. I let out an involuntary gasp.

It was so intense it almost hurt...but so good at the same time.

A sudden bite around my stomach area distracted me for a second. Mel was feasting on my skin in the most devilishly delicious way possible...I never wanted him to stop.

He was so good at this! Teasing, pleasuring, and then back to teasing again.

I felt a cold and sharp object brushing against my sensitive flesh down there...Mel's rosary. And I writhed a bit.

Stop teasing and just get on with it already!

Adding to the discomfort, Mel lifted his head up and looked down on me once again, his piercing gaze penetrating me...making me suddenly uncomfortable in the heat of my sinful arousal.

"Well, look at you, Neiar," he breathed the words, sensually and tauntingly.

Without further ado, he shifted lower and took my aching flesh in his wet little mouth.

"Unghhh..."

It was like nothing like I've ever sensed before. Every single movement he did with his mouth sent spasms all over me, and the heated pool of protein grew wider down there, it was like a pot full of boiling water spilling out its content everywhere.

With each and every thrust I made, he covered it really well in his mouth. The way he applied the pressure, interchanging between long licks and swirls, short sucks and playful nibbles, it was so Mel. Forceful, wild, unpredictable yet intriguing, leaving a deep impression within me.

I felt my head thrashing from side to side, my hips moving by its own volition as Mel continued to work me up in irregular but heavenly rhythms. Where the hell did he learn the art of fellatio? Was it just one of his oral fixations that was normally manifested in his seemingly never-ending feast on chocolate bars? Was I just another one of his indulgences, his chocolate bars?

Not that I had a problem with it.

His sucks suddenly became harder and faster, his grip tightening around the tip and he stopped there for a moment.

God, Mel...

Don't stop. Just don't.

Neiar...Neiar.

No, not now.

I've missed you.

I thrusted harder, indicating to Mel to go deeper and harder.

Suddenly I got reminded of the random few occasions where I've played with myself and thinking about Mellina.

Would she be as skilful had she been the one doing these things to me?

"Aaahhh..." I gave out an involuntary gasp, burying my hands in Mello's silky soft blonde locks.

I wonder what it would be like if it was Mellina who...

"Oohh..."

That little bitch ought to serve me like this.

"Unh..." I heard myself growling.

I should be on top of her as she takes me up her little hole...

"Fuck! Mel!"

And I knew I was getting closer and closer to the edge.

I so wanted to savour the moment for longer. I so wanted to last as long as I could.

But I was only 15. And this was the first time anyone's ever given me head. So when Mel's hand trailed down under my critical erection and teased my balls hard, I totally lost it.

"Mmmhhh...aahhhh!" Within seconds, waves of intense ecstasy engulfed me as I felt my hot white essence escaping me, and straight into Mel's mouth.

One...two, shots and I laid there panting, feeling my whole body shivering slightly, covered with sweat.

I heard Mel spitting loudly, and from the rattling sounds of paper I could pretty much tell how he cleaned up the mess.

Shit, that was...

Mel was still between my legs, running his fingers around my belly button, and I could feel his breath warm against my crotch.

I haven't even finished catching up to my breath when he suddenly pulled my legs up and started kneeling up.

I must've passed out or refused to relive the memory because the last thing I've heard was "Now it's your turn to serve me, you little slag," before everything turned black.

The next thing I remembered was waking up with a terrible sore down there, both front and back, and then noticing that I was already half-hard...again.

Mel was lying beside me, one leg ignorantly slung across mine, my white shirt covering half his bare chest. He looked so pale, tiny and frail. His shiny rosary was still draped over his chest, tilted sideways, and it was moving up and down along with his breaths.

There was something terribly erotic about this view. How the supposed symbol of purity and holiness looked like a futile attempt of covering up his sinful presence. His angelic platinum blonde hair was the only thing left after falling from grace.

And it aroused me...like nothing ever before.

I wanted to break him again.

Like how I wanted to do it to Mellina too. But this time, strangely, all I saw was Mello.

The object of my desire.

Like a possessed animal, I got up and grabbed him by the shoulders, laid him down on the table and attempted to repeat every single thing he did to me. He was naked on top, except for his rosary, and his pants were clinging dangerously low around his slim hips.

He woke up slowly, his bedroom eyes suddenly replaced by surprise and alert of the terror soon to come. He tried to twist away from me but I was at an advantage, being more awake and alert. Without wasting any time, I yanked his pants down, immediately pulling his legs up and apart. My weeping erection was still sticky from our earlier coupling and beads of cum was still left from before, and I figured that would have to do.

Slowly pushing my half-erection up Mel's virginal hole, it instantly made my aching length grow completely.

"Neiar...no! Ah! Aoww!"

Mel's painful moans just went straight past me. I kept pushing deeper and deeper, as his fingers dug into my arms, bracing himself, at the same time spitting out all sorts of profanities.

He was so tight, deliciously so, almost painful as it completely engulfed my manhood.

His legs wrapped around my neck as I started to move in and out of him in short, quick strokes, sending pulses of pain and pleasure right into him.

"Neiar...shit, aaaahhhh!"

Mel thrashed and writhed beneath me, sending books and papers flying off the table. He gritted his teeth, his tangled blonde locks falling around his head in a mess. His face was red with lust and agony, his skin feverishly hot against mine. His rosary fell back to his face, and soon enough, he was biting into the cross.

The sight was...indescribable.

That little bitch deserved it.

"Mmmhh...oooohhh..Nei..."

Just like back then.

I continued thrusting into him, drawing out ragged breaths everytime I pull out, sending shivers down my own spine everytime his tight heat swallowed me whole.

Like before, I wasn't any better at lasting very long.

So I came. Just like that. Not as much as before. One shot, but it was hard and messy. I vaguely saw some of my essence splattering on Mel's flushed face.

That's it. Taste me.

I want you to remember me for the rest of your life.

You dirty little slag.

I couldn't even remember when Mel came. I wasn't helping the process one bit. Although I was pretty sure I kissed him briefly at one stage.

But all I can remember is, that was the last time ever that I thought about Mellina.

WASHINGTON DC, USA, 2009.

"Neiar."

"What is it, Agent Lester?"

The tall man holding a piece of paper came up to me.

"That man in the photo you were looking for..."

I felt a glint of excitement speeding up my spine.

"Yes?"

"We might have some leads to his whereabouts...if you'd like to have a look..."

I took the piece of paper and skimmed through.

Interesting.

"Agent Lester?"

"Yes?"

"This is to be kept strictly confidential."

"I understand."

END OF PART 1