[Uke]

"I feel like I'm condemning an innocent kid to my own past," Nate whispered. "If he was forced to sell his body for food and had a coke addiction, we'd be carbon copies. Well, I'm not a genius, but I sympathize with the situation..." He sighed. "I want to help you get him back, but... He's been first in line since BB left, right? He was what... eight? How many years has that weight been on his shoulders?"

[Mint]

"Forever...since he got here." Mello said. "At first they were going after me and then Near came along and swept the rug out from beneath me."

"They tried to press me too, but...Mello and Near were just a new level." Matt replied. "L didn't mean to...but he named me a potential third because they wanted one. He thought they'd just leave me alone entirely."

"You're not condemning anyone." Mello added.

[Uke]

"How do you expect me to go home and just forget all this!?" Nate cried, looking up at them both with actual tears in his eyes.

[Mint]

"...Because...because it's not you." Mello blinked. "...Nate...you think we won't anything like this for you?"

[Uke]

"Fine... FINE!" Nate snapped, turning his face away. "I'll help you find out how to send me home..."

[Mint]

Matt blinked and looked at Mello before scooting closer to Near.

"Nate...it has nothing to do with you." Matt offered. "We're not trying to get rid of you."

"What?" Mello blinked. "What are talking about, he knows that!"

[Uke]

"I get it," Nate mumbled. "You want Near back... I can't say I blame you. He protects you both and has all of Wammy's sitting on his shoulders..."

[Mint]

Mello blinked now before he stood up on the bed- fists clenched.

"Screw you!" He snapped. "I don't need any protecting! Not from Near and not from YOU!"

"Mello!" Matt shot up at the blonde.

[Uke]

"I'm just repeating what y'all keep saying," Nate informed, lifting an eyebrow. "That Near is good in spot one because he doesn't mess up, so no one gets in trouble. So you want him back. I get that. Things work with him here. With him gone, they don't... if that bruise I can see at the edge of your collar is any indication."

[Mint]

Mello recoiled a bit and pulled up the collar of his sweater.

"...This sucks." Matt blurted- making Mello look at him in confusion. "I don't feel like picking and choosing."

"...Wh-what?" Mello looked surprised beyond measure. "Matt..."

Matt looked at Nate.

"We would keep you Nate...honest." Matt said. "Mello and I."

[Uke]

Nate smiled a little. "Hey... if you live, you can see me someday, right? If I get home... you can find me. I'll be on TV and stuff... or maybe I wont, but you guys are smart. You'll find me..." He sighed a little. "And... well... I don't like putting Near back in this situation but I have to trust you when you say its better for everyone... I'm sorry Mello, I didn't meant to sound so harsh."

[Mint]

Mello opened his mouth to say something, but found that...he really didn't have anything he could say.

"...Nate, we'll look for you." Matt promised. "If we can't have you now, we'll find you."

[Uke]

"Thanks," Nate said with a weak smile - one that said he clearly didn't think that in eight years Matt or Mello would bother to find him.

[Mint]

"...Maybe we'll even be around to look this time." Mello replied.

[Uke]

There was a moment of silence before Nate hummed, "My bet is figuring out how I got here is gonna help us figure out how I got home..."

--Scene Change--

"We've been in here for four hours, fifteen minutes, thirty six seconds," Near said suddenly after a good half an hour of silence while Mail fiddled with his cell phone.

[Mint]

"Hey, this Matt character's like an mechanical guy...right?" Mail asked.