Notes: Okay, I reeaallly love this story, so in each chapter I'm going to say why I love it .

Chapter 1: I love this chapter BECAUSE I JUST DO, GET OVER IT, FOOLS.

Bring Me to Life

Chapter 1: My Eyes Like Open Doors

I was sure of my reality. I knew I was in some dark street in Paris. I knew I was starving and thirsting. I knew there were rats bighting at my ankles. I knew I was alone.

I chose to ignore it all. I chose to stare at the full moon. To ignore the dull ache in the pit of my stomach. To ignore the life around me.

Then he appeared. Mind you, I have good hearing for a mortal. I'm surprised I never heard his footsteps. Then again, I was half dead at the time.

"What's a young boy like you doing in such a disgusting place?"

Before me stood a tall, rich looking gentleman. He had blond hair almost to his shoulders, not an unusual length at the time. He was clothed entirely in black except for a red fur trimmed jacket which hung on his shoulders in a causal manner.

Let's just say I was at a loss for words.

The man squatted down to get at eye level with me. "What, are you mute boy? Talk."

I was about to string together a sentence when I his icy blue eyes take on an ethereal glow in the darkness. Suddenly his attitude changed form a confident rich man to that of a loving guardian.

"Oh you poor, poor thing." He cooed, bringing me to my feet. He draped his jacket around my shoulders, drawing me close to him.

"You poor darling, you're alone in such a terribly large city. You haven't eaten or drank anything since you can remember! How did such an injustice happen to you?"

I stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

He looked at me, and I could see his bangs just barely gracing the tips of his eyelashes.

"What's your name darling?"

"Na- Near." I stuttered, for some reason refraining from using my given name.

He smiled at me and began to walk, taking me along with him. He was humming my name under his breath with a little tune. The oddness of the man really did scare me, but I was compelled to trust him.

We turned on to another street. "Pardon moi, monsieur, but if you don't mind me asking, where exactly are you taking me?"

"Why to my hotel apartment of course! And dear, you have the slightest accent, where exactly are you from?"

"I was raised in America until two years ago."

"Where exactly in America, darling?" He whispered.

"New Orleans-"

"New Orleans! You've been raised speaking French then! Very good Near…"

That was the first time he called me by name instead of a pet name.

"And where are you from, monsieur?" I asked, eager to find out more about my mysterious caregiver, and I noticed some of the other gentlemen walking sometimes looked at him oddly.

"Please call me Mello, darling."

Mello. A strange name for a strange man.

I nodded and Mello began to talk. "I was born in Russia… But that doesn't matter now." He added hurriedly. "I've traveled a lot of my life, so I don't consider myself from one particular place."

All of a sudden Mello stopped walking and put a gloved hand to my forehead. "Ugh, I knew it. Poor darling, you're burning up. We really must get you home- No. Don't say anything darling."

Coincidentally I sneezed as if to prove his point.

Mello began walking at a much faster pace, almost pulling me along in a glide. I couldn't even hear his feet touch the ground.

"Aah! Here we are darling." Moments later Mello and I stepped into the most beautiful, and well, rich looking lobby I had ever seen. Everyone stopped and stared, probably wondering why Mello had picked up a piece of dirt like me off the streets.

He smiled warmly and waved. "Good evening gentlemen, nothing to see here, really!"

As if on cue everyone went back to what they were doing previously. That left Mello to stride across the polished floor soundlessly. I padded along beside him, almost nervous of all the wealth around me.

As we reached the stairs I had time to notice the plush carpeting before Mello swept me up in his arms.

"M-Mello! What are you doing?" I was just a tad bit startled.

"Why darling," he began to climb the stairs. "My apartment is at the top floor and you are simply too weak to climb all these dreadful stairs yourself!"

"I could do it…" I grumbled, but I let him carry me anyway.

He put me down gently numerous flights later in front of a white and gold trimmed wooden door. There was a plaque that read, 'Penthouse Apartment'. So Mello really was as rich as he looked, if he could afford the penthouse apartment of such a nice hotel.

There was a click from the doorknob before Mello even touched it. "Did the door just… Open itself for you?" I asked.

Mello chuckled, opening the door for us. "I suppose it must like us, mustn't it?"

I was thoroughly confused with the doorknob, but forgot it all once we walked in. We came into the parlor room. There were two expensive looking couches across the room from each other, a small mahogany coffee table in the middle, two chairs placed in the two far corners of the room. Separating the chairs was a crammed bookshelf full to capacity. I noticed above one couch hung a landscape oil painting of some green rolling hills on a bright afternoon.

Directly to my left Mello guided me through the doorway and into the dining room. The table was a rectangular sheet of glass supported by a wooden frame. At each head was a maroon armchair, and the seats on the sides were hand carved wood with black sating cushions. There was another daytime landscape painting on the wall. A silver chandelier hung from the ceiling, but it was unlit. As was the candle in the gold candlestick resting in the center of the table next to a bottle of wine.

Mello pulled out the closest armchair and gestured for me to sit down. I did so, sitting in my usual manner with one knee up. The chair was very comfortable, easy to lose yourself in.

Mello lit the candle, setting it back down on the table, talking as he did so. "Now Near darling, I'm going to go back downstairs to get your supper. It's going to be a few minutes since they half to cook it. You must promise me two things."

I nodded.

"One, you know that other closed door in the parlor, correct?"

"Yes Mello." It was a wide one, separating one of the couches from the chair and bookshelf.

"You must never go in there or attempt to enter, do you understand?"

"Yes Mello, I understand?" I was slightly disturbed, however. Mello's lack of use of pet names was rather unnerved me. And he seemed almost squeamish in the candlelight.

"The second thing…" Mello began. "Is that you must promise me not to get lonely or sad while I'm gone."

I smiled slightly. "I'll try not to Mello." I hope that there was I worded it implied there was a chance I would miss his company. I didn't want him to feel bad on my part. It did seem to please him, for he ran up and caught me in a hug.

"Oh my dearest darling Near. I will try to be quick, don't fret darling."

As Mello pulled, my face brushed against Mello's cheek and it was rather cold… Almost like a dead person.

With one last smile and wave Mello was gone. I didn't actually seem him leave- he just vanished and I heard the door close.

Within the first thirty seconds of waiting I grew dreadfully bored. There were no toys or dolls to play with… I had a lot of those back in New Orleans, they had always kept my mind occupied. I wondered if perhaps Mello would buy me some… No I shouldn't become to expectant of him. Mello was a rich man who had taken me in on impulse. He could just throw me out after this one meal. However, I decided he most likely wouldn't. He wouldn't after showing so much affection for me, not if he kept acting upon my ever whim. I would have some toys to play with very soon, I was convinced.

Though at the present moment I was still very bored. I got up and walked into the parlor. I tried to look through the books Mello owned, but that door kept taunting me with whatever secret it held. I decided I would just look in if it was unlocked. No harm ever came in looking, did it?

So I turned to the door, for some reason entranced by its simple design. I reached out to it and twisted the knob. Or rather, I tried to. The thing didn't budge. It was more then locked, it was sealed shut.

Disheartened significantly I went back to my seat in the dining room. While waiting I was tempted to uncork the wine bottle… But Mello hadn't told me to so I didn't.

After what seemed like ages Mello returned.

"Oh Near my precious I'm so incredibly sorry it took so long!"

"It's alright Mello." I murmured as Mello set a silver platter on the table in front of me. On it was a breast of roasted duck. There was a half a baguette spiced with… Was that rosemary smelled? There was also a small bottle of wine and of course all the appropriate silverware.

Mello opened the bottle of wine and poured me a glass. "I didn't know if you wanted vegetables… I know when I was your age I didn't vegetables."

Mello opened the other bottle and poured his own glass. Was it just me or was Mello's wine more…. Red then mine? I dismissed the though, figuring it was just the dime light playing tricks with my eyes.

As I quietly worked on my duck, I couldn't make eye contact with Mello. I had no idea what he would do if he found I had broken my promise.

"Near." Mello was gazing at me with a tired expression, his chin cupped lazily in his hand and his other holding lazily onto his wine glass.

I paused mid-chew then finished and swallowed. "Yes Mello?" I asked in much more a smaller voice then I intended.

"Near you tried to get into the locked room didn't you?"

"Well I- I didn't, I mean, not like-"

"Near you have to trust me enough to be truthful. I'll know when you're lying anyway."

"I did."

Mello gulped some of his wine down. "Poor, poor Near. I thought you were trustworthy…"

"I am!" I cried out defensively.

Mello smiled, setting his wine back on the table. "I know Near, I know. I understand, young boys like you are curious."

I forked a piece of duck rather loudly. "I'm seventeen." I snapped, angrily sipping my own wine.

"Oh, my! Seventeen are you?" Mello looked genuinely surprised.

I nodded chewing another piece of duck.

Mello laughed. "I remember when I was seventeen… Such a… Ripe, warm age, isn't it?"

I shrugged. "Why do you talk about it like it happened decades ago? You can't be older then twenty."

"I talk like it happened decades ago, do I?" Mello mused. He seemed full of apprehension. His eyes kept lingering on the entrance to the parlor. I wondered what he was thinking.

Out of nowhere there came four bone chilling raps at the door to the apartment. Mello froze and looked rather afraid. A strange look on his normally confident face.

"Mihael, it's me, Beyond. Open up the door please before I make it open for me!"

"Coming in just a moment!" Mello called out calmly. He wasn't calm at all though. His hands were shaking and his normally sharp and focused eyes were darting everywhere.

"Near!" He hissed at me. I was taken aback. Mello sounded really… Vicious.

"Go into the locked room, it'll be open for you! Get inside the coffin and put the lid on! Don't make a sound and don't come out until it's quiet!"

I obeyed and ran through the parlor, nearly tripping over the coffee table in the process. The door to the locked room opened just like any door would, and there really was a coffin inside the room. In fact, it was the only thing in it beside the black curtains.

I shakily slid the black painted lid off and got inside then closed the lid over me. It was surprisingly nice inside the coffin, it was lined with red silk and there was thick bedding inside it. I could have fallen asleep in it if it weren't for the noise outside.

Their conversation came as strained whispers and hisses, and I could tell Mello and the Beyond man were doing all they could not to scream at each other. I heard Beyond say something about, 'your pathetic mortal' and then it sounded as if someone fell to the floor. I hoped it wasn't Mello.

After that the sounds told me some sort of fist-fight ensued. I heard the noises of furniture tipping over, glass shattering, and curses in a weir old-sounding French I could only partly understand.

While this was going on, dozens of questions were flying though my mind, primarily: What was going on? Who is this Beyond man and what did he want? And why had Mello made me hide in a coffin of all things?

A few minutes later I heard the door slam. I waited, making sure Beyond hadn't come back. Then I carefully slid the lid off, got out of the coffin, and put the lid back on.

I nervously opened the door and stepped into the parlor. All the furniture was moved, knocked over, or upturned. Some how my baguette had been thrown into the mess, and I also spotted a wine stain coming from the dining room. There were books scattered about. It looked as though at some point they had been throwing sheet music at each other. The weirdest thing was a burn stretching diagonally across the landscape painting. I couldn't begin to guess logically about how that happened.

Then there was Mello. He was sitting on the floor with his back up against the wall where one of the couches should have been. He was holding his face in his hands, sobbing.

"Mello are you alright?" I asked, walking over and sitting beside him.

"Near! If a man who calls himself Beyond Birthday, B.B., or B confronts you, you MUST come straight to me! I'll protect you!"

"Who is he though Mello?"

"He's a very scary man, Near. He sees the death in everyone. He'll use it to rip you apart, and only when you beg for mercy will he then finally kill you."

"Was he trying to kill you Mello?"

Mello sobbed. "No Near, his target is you."

"Me?!" I gasped. "What did I ever do?"

"I can't tell you that yet Near. I promise someday I'll tell you everything. Trust in me."

"Can you tell me why you made me hide in a coffin, Mello?"

"Because he wouldn't look for you there."

"I thought he just stayed in the parlor."

"He did Near, but he looked for you all the same." All the while Mello was still holding his face. I brought my hand up to his, trying to look at his face.

"Mello…" Was all I could say. There was blood dripping the sides of his mouth. It was also running from his… Eyes. Not only that but it was smeared all over his face.

"Near, I'm sorry to have frightened you so… I'll wash my face now."

Mello stood up and walked like a ghost to where I assumed the water closet was. When he came back he was cleaned of all blood and I was happy to see Mello's perfectly smooth pale complexion.

He smiled. "Come my dear, you should go to bed. It's been a long day." I agreed and he showed me to the guest room- my room now. It was the most lavish room I had had to call my own, better then the room in New Orleans.

I was still gaping slightly as he tucked me in lovingly. Mello brushed a lock of hair from my face as he did so.

"I'll have a set of new clothes for you by the time you wake. Good night my beautiful Near."

"Goodnight Mello…" I murmured, already the downy bed had taken its hold on me. I just hoped I would be plagued by the usual nightmares…