The Hardest Puzzle || Death Note

10-Come Home

Chapter Ten * Come Home -
Eventually you had to get back into the bed, and you had to have the scratchy, annoying restraints put back on you.
As Near swiftly replaced them you flinched, not liking him being so close, and not particularly liking him touching your bare skin, either, no matter how unintentional. You hadn't liked it the first time, and you basically hated it with a passion for the second,
Once he was finished he stayed where he was, instead of backing away. In fact, you could swear that he moved in even closer.
"______," he said, directly addressing you. "I'm going to tell you a little about where you'll be going tomorrow."
Flinching at his closeness-did this guy know what personal space was?-you gave a small nod.
"It's not much to look at, inside or out. It's our headquarters, basically." Near paused. "I'm sure you've heard of Kira."
"Y-yes...," you whispered.
"We were the ones to catch Kira, although no one really believes he's gone."
While you were surprised that this boy in front of you had been the one to bring the mass-murderer down, you couldn't help but feel relieved.
You had never really liked Kira-in fact, that was an understatement. You'd hated him with a passion when he'd killed your sole friend's uncle for something as simple as unwittingly being the partner in crime of a murderer.
"The place we are going to take you has access to the outside world, but the outside world cannot get in. It is not built to have people living there, but Rester, myself, and several others live there. We have adjusted it to where the conditions are livable."
"Hal?" you queried softly.
"No."
Your lower lip trembled. "Am I...the only girl?"
Near looked at you, expression as unreadable as ever.
"Yes."
You wildly shook your head.
"No," you said, starting to panic again. "No! I don't wanna go there. I don't! I can't live with guys!"
Near sighed.
Your breath came in gasps.
"Calm down, ______," he instructed you.
But you refused to, eyes wide with terror, and starting to fill with tears.
"No! I-I can't! What if they're...like him..."
Then, when you told him your fear, you suddenly felt as if you were released from the panic attack.
Your heartbeat slowing, you were able to stop struggling and relax back onto the bed.
"You're living on the opposite side of the compound. And besides, you have nowhere else to go."
You shook your head weakly. "I still can't," you protested.
"Wherever you go there will be men," Hal said from the doorway, holding a shopping bag in hand. "After my first heartbreak I tried to avoid them all, thinking they were all the same. But they're not. And avoiding them failed miserably." Hal smiled faintly at the memory.
Then she spoke mainly to Near. "If needed, I can live at headquarters for the time being."
You nodded faintly. "Please."
"Oh," Hal remembered. She grinned at you. "I brought what you asked for."
"I'll leave the room again."
With that, Near left.
You flushed, knowing that he knew full well what it was that was going on, and knew what was in the bag, too. Then again, it wasn't so hard to guess, was it?
Hal came to sit next to you, and you discussed things that you hadn't discussed with anyone in years. Your mother had never asked, so you had just kept it all in.
But now you had someone you could maybe call a friend. So maybe this headquarters idea wasn't too bad.
"Near," you called nervously once you'd finished the conversation with Hal.
"Yes?"
"I'll go with you to headquarters."