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Annals of Fear II	By : DeathNoteFangirl Category: Death Note > Yaoi-Male/Male > Mello/Matt Views: 5803 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note and I do not make any money from these writings

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"You're a fucking twat." Fenian commented, as he strode across Century's chalet to get the teenager a glass of water.   "An absolute twat!   You had him. You had Mello by the fucking balls and you lost it."

Century had crumpled, breathlessly on the bed, but he rallied now. Indignation rode his tone. "He is going to shoot me!"

"He is not going to shoot you." Fenian declared, flushing out a glass with water, then filling it.

"How can you know that?"   Century panted. It had taken some persuading to make him return to his room, where Mello might find him.

Fenian cast him a withering look, as he carried the glass to his foster brother. "Because Neuron is still alive. Mello is mostly swagger and bollocks. If he wanted you dead, you'd have been dead by now."   He waited until, after a stunned pause, glaring, Century took his drink.   Fenian lit a cigarette. "You need to make up your mind, Cent, because you can't have it all ways. This being ill, is that a ruse to make Mello go easy on you?   Because you're not having a fucking heart-attack."

"No!" Century gasped. "I feel fucking shit!"

"Hospital worthy of shit?" Fenian peered at him. "Only this is the closest you're ever likely to get to beating Mello at his own game, and you had better be prepared to give that up, if you're exaggerating things."

Century stared into space. "Fuck." He put the glass down and buried his face in his hands. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."   His mobile 'phone rang. He sprang up and fished the 'phone from his pocket. He cut the connection. "Dee."

Fenian nodded. "You know that wasn't Deontic upstairs? It was fucking Matt. He set her up."

Century made a sound, a cross between a whimper and a roar. "It's not fucking fair! It's not..."

"Ok." Fenian pointed his cigarette into the direction of the teenager. "Your problem is that you ran out of challenges. You achieved your PhD, so what now? Everyone goes a little mad after PhD. You survived your heart-attack. Well done. Then you hit 18 and finally all those years of hiding from Watari are over. Then hot on the trail of that, you get this close to beating Mello at his own game, and you're..."

"I need to get to the manor house. I need to get into that altar."

"Fine." Fenian nodded. "I'll go and get the Land Rover keys from Kiana."

Century frowned, "You've been drinking."

Fenian shrugged, "Just enough to take away the chill of the beach. Not drunk."

"Mello's going to be up there. He's not going to let me get in first. He has my computer. He has my information."

Fenian took a drag on his cigarette, "Cheating toerag."

"He's going to shoot me and it's not fair." Century exhaled heavily, his eyes wild. "And you! What's your fucking angle, Fenian? Because you're always telling me to back away from the killing wheel and don't play the Watari games. What the fuck are you doing right now?"

Fenian smiled, "Sure. But you never got this close to fucking over Mello before." He made his way to the door. "Are we away?"

Century was pacing. No longer breathless and no longer screaming to go to the hospital, but evidently agitated. "Youngest, I was, see? Up against kids older than me. I couldn't even use it as an excuse, when Near went top."

"Century," Fenian interrupted, impatient to be gone, "I know. I was there. Come on."

"I'm 18. I've got a weak heart! I was near to bottom of the rankings. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?"

Fenian sighed, his hand against the front door. "You're supposed to get up the manor house. Solve this case before Mello does. Then put it behind you, go home to Salvo and Chrissie, then become the best fucking historian the world has ever known. Now grab your fucking lollipops and let's go."

Century stared at him. "What if Salvo and Chrissie don't really want me there?"

"What?" Fenian spat. "... the fuck has got into you?"

"They were hiding me from Watari..."

"No they fucking weren't!" Fenian barked. "They fucking cared that you weren't out there alone!"

"But I'm eighteen now. Old enough to be out there alone and they have a family. I'm not up there now, because I don't want to take this thing to them. To the baby. They've learned what their home could be like without me there and it's not a rebellion against Wammy's House any more. It's..."

Fenian frowned, "So has your man said anything?"

"Who?"

"Salvo?"

"No."

Fenian rolled his eyes. "Then you're being paranoid. Fuck shit, Century, you've seriously changed. You used to be the most laid-back, self-assured bastard there. You go on about being the youngest, but you were one of the most mature of us there. While I was banging my head up a brick wall, desperate to get home to Eire, you were all, 'ah, shit happens'. If you wanted out, you just went and you didn't make a big song and dance about it. It's always been water off a duck's fucking back with you. Sure, you were under pressure and that sometimes showed, but not for long. You want the fucking truth of it? I fucking envied you. I couldn't stay that fucking calm."

"Then I had a fucking heart-attack." Century retorted. "Then I got this fucking close to solving a case ahead of Mello, and someone fucking lied, when they said that they hadn't brought a gun."   He caught Fenian's sheepish glance. "Fuck shit, Fenian! Got one too, is it?"

"Protection against Mello."

"How the fuck did you get it into the country?"

"I didn't. I arranged to pick one up here."

Century stared. "I don't fucking believe this."

"Whose gun did you think I was pointing at Mello yesterday?"

"Hal's."

Fenian sighed. "We're losing time, while you have a paranoid breakdown.   Lay this out for me Century. Are you too afraid to do this thing?   Sure, Mello will probably play dirty, because he's fucking Mello. But you're giving him the ammunition. I personally believe that Mello will never fucking shoot you. He might point it and use it to scare the shit out of you, but you gave him that. You let him know about the phobia.   Make a plan for when that happens." He caught Century's look of nervous enquiry. "Look, if your man is going to fucking sink that low, then that's carte blanche for you to do the same.   You know about Gorskica now. He points a gun at you, you ask him what it was like when the cathedral came down on his fucking head."

Century looked incredulous. "You've changed too. You used to be the kind one."

Fenian cast a sharp glance at him. "What?" When Century didn't answer immediately, Fenian plunged on. "No, I was the loud-mouthed, angry, fucking argumentative one. It wasn't me staying up all night, walking Matt around the fucking garden, when he tried to do himself in."

"Linda isn't kind. She did that because there was a really good chance that Matt could be the next L. Kira killed L. Sent a twelve year old to fill those shoes, is it? Mello fucked off, probably because he could see where this was going..."

"Mello fucked off because he couldn't work with Near." Fenian clarified. "And remember that project we had to do in World Organisations? When we had to envisage a fucking global catastrophe, and work out who would have the power to react quickly to mobilise whatever was needful around the world?   Fucking telling that was. Near went for the American government, in collusion with the UN. Linda went for Watari. But Mello? Your man went for the Mafia, because, he reasoned, they kept Russia going after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He got in trouble for that one, because we're supposed to be for justice and he chose the biggest fucking criminal gang going. But I watched his presentation and, you know what? He had a fucking point."

Century took a couple of deep breaths and opened a drawer. He took out a handful of lollipops and dropped them into his pocket. "Who did you go for?"

"I said that it wouldn't happen. If there's that much of a catastrophe, then there would be no communication. The power would transfer locally and we'd revert to petty kingdoms and tribes." Fenian watched Century standing stock still by the drawer. "Your breathing appears to have steadied. You know that that's just because you're running? Exercise, after having had so much bed rest. You're not fit. And your heart is mending. The rest is sheer panic."

Century looked at him. "That's what Mello said."

Fenian nodded. "That's why Mello isn't taking it seriously. Mello is seeing what I'm seeing, which is that you're bottling it at the 11th hour. You're going to let Mello win, because you're too scared not to. You're letting your fear of guns over-ride your chance to shine."

"Precisely!" Century rounded on him. "I want to shine."

Fenian sneered, "This from the boy who said that the downfall of Wammy's House is pride and the need to shine. The best way to beat the system is to not give a shit. To do your own thing, because you'll only fail if you were competing in the first place." There was silence. "I listened to you, Century. I went home. I'm not a detective. I'm..." He stopped, realising that he was about to give away the kind of personal information that could get him traced. He trusted Century, right up to the point where he remembered that he was a Wammy kid. Fenian had trusted Hollow too. "I'm doing something that I really enjoy and which fits my skill set and my passions, like a fucking glove. And yeah, sure, I feel fucking much better for it. You taught me that. So fucking self-assured, even as a kid. You felt ten years older than me, always did. But that was then. You're letting fear and paranoia rob you of your big moment to shine."

Century took another lollipop from the drawer and opened it. "It's Wales, Fenian."

Fenian nodded, "I'm aware of where we are, Century."

"It feels personal. You read all of the histories and the English make it sound like the Welsh just rolled over and played dead. Your lot got your country back, but we..."

"Not all of it." Fenian smiled, taking the last drag on his cigarette. "Not yet."

"... we had it free, under Glyndŵr and let them take it again. But it wasn't like that. The Welsh fought back, time and time again. We didn't make it fucking easy for them. We kept our language, even under a sustained attempt, over five fucking centuries, to eradicate it from the country. Lose your language, lose your identity."

"I know, Century. I'm Irish." Fenian winked. "And if you're scared of fitting into some English stereotype of the Welsh under invasion, then fucking come on. Manor house. Let's go."

"No, Fenian." Century looked pained. "It's not that. Well, it is, but not." He sighed heavily. "I'm just scared. Full stop. Not scared of, just scared."

Fenian nodded, "I know. Hence I'm coming with you."   He surveyed the teenager carefully. "Are you sure?   I mean, this research you've done, is it definitely the clincher? Because if so, you're going to have to go for it.   You'll regret it for the rest of your life, if you don't."

"It's strong evidence."

Fenian turned the latch on the front door. The cold air of Cardigan Bay blew in, chilling the room. "If he points a gun at you, I point one at him. Or Matt. But keep in mind that he had far more reason to kill Neuron and he brought him into custody. I know, because I was the fucker who delivered Neuron to the Watari prison. And that was a fucking eye-opener, because I didn't know we had one."

Century shivered, but pulled his coat more tightly around himself. "You're scared of Mello too, Fenian. Am I your fall guy?"

"Fucking what?" Fenian closed the door again. "You think I'm getting revenge on Mello via you?   Well, sure I am. But I'm not hiding in the fucking closet to do it. He's not going to take you out, because he's not going to take you out. But if he does, then he'll take me out too. There's no reason to fucking kill either of us and a world of fucking shit, if he does. Do you really think he wants to share a fucking prison wing with Neuron? No. So I'm on your fucking side, risking just the same. Salvo and Chrissie have not indicated that they don't want you back with them. Siân left here still wanting your body. Kiana thinks that you're really lovely. She said that. She's a good judge of character and she said that you're one of the good ones. So, yeah, lots of people fucking love you. Let's go and eclipse Mello with your genius."

Century had been gradually thawing throughout this, with a coy smile forming beneath pinking cheeks. "Thank you, Fenian."

"That's what you needed to hear?" Fenian demanded. "Well, good, we got there in the end. No-one tells you that you're great, Century, because we're all Wammy alumni and so we're self-serving bastards. Encourage you, or give you positive feedback, and you might get ahead of us. But Chrissie and Salvo showed it when they took you in.   I showed it, when you and Lamond were the only two to have my 'phone number." Fenian saw Century bow his head, taking all of this in, as a salve to the soul. "Even up there, just now, I think that Deontic sussed that there was a gun there. I saw Mello gesture to Matt and I was trying to deduce what it meant. Maybe Deontic is faster on the uptake. Maybe she saw something else. Whichever it was, Mello wasn't armed, because he wanted to make a big play of how he cared about you and so he was coming clean. But Matt was armed, because who would fucking search Matt? And that's the same as Mello being armed."

Century shook his head in disbelief, "How did I miss all of this?"

"Because you weren't focused! You were too busy letting your emotions get the better of you."

Century gave an ironic laugh. "You're still a Wammy. What happened to 'the Celts have passion and song, that's why the cold, hard Germanics had to put us down, because we lived too fully for them to stand'."

Fenian shrugged, "That's when I was a pretentious shit. Deontic knew that the gun was there. She cared enough to try and get it off them, so they couldn't use it against you. Ergo, you have Deontic's respect. Unfortunate that Matt out-manoeuvred her. Are we going? Shut the Beast and his imp up forever?"

"You kept me sane and calm. Last time, when I thought I was dying in the manor house, Mello asked me how I survived Wammy's House. I told him that it was you. You firing me up with Celtic identity. Awakening the ol' Welsh soul. I don't think I was Welsh, until I met you. I was just someone who came from Wales." Century smiled. "It gave me something to belong to, that couldn't die or be taken away from me, see? Mello used that. He more or less said that he would do his best to be Fenian. He had to be you, to keep me going that night. You were important too, Fenian. And Mello knows that."

Fenian inclined his head. "Sure. Thanks a million. But this mutual ego stroking isn't getting us up the fucking manor house. I still have to get the keys off Kiana. Shall we?"

Century took a deep breath and, as Fenian opened the door, he followed him into the night. "I'm that scared, Fenian."

"Yeah, I know, cariad." Fenian gestured towards the red Camaro, which was still there, alongside Century's mini. "But don't you be thinking that all those Welsh heroes, Glyndŵr, Llewellyn and the rest, weren't scared too. All men are scared, when they step out for the fight. But they go anyway and that's what makes them men. Once we get going, the gander will be up and you'll have adrenaline to run on."   He led them across the green. The light was on in Mello and Matt's chalet. Fenian grinned. "Still time." He hurried his pace, then remembered Century's recent propensity to get out of breath and panic about it. He slowed again, with Century keeping pace. "You'll be telling the whole story in the car? So I fucking know, by the time we get up there."   He shot a glance at Century, as the two leapt off the low wall onto the gravel. The Welshman looked pensive, but he nodded. Fenian considered. "No, keep it to yourself. This is your baby. I don't need to know."

Century blinked. "What?"

"It's more important that you know that I'm an ally. If I push for the information then," Fenian gasped, the wind coming off the sea taking his words from him, "you might be thinking I'm after solving the case too."   They could see a campfire, just a short distance across the rocks. Kiana and Hal sat at it, wrapped up tightly against the cold, with a hipflask of whiskey being passed between them. "I'm on your side, Century. Definitely. I'm here as your second."

"I'll tell you." Century breathed. "The information that they're looking at?"

"Sure."

"No, just saying. The information is in Welsh." Century smirked. "Might delay them for a bit."

Fenian grinned at him, "Get in there, my son!"

Kiana was standing, drifting towards them to meet Fenian with a kiss. "Everything alright?"

"Sure. I need your keys."

Kiana gave him an appraising look. "You're going up the manor house." She noted his quick nod. "Liam, it's Samhain."

Fenian nodded again. "I know. I'll be back to have a drink with you."

"The manor house is teeming with energy at the best of times. Samhain is a time when the veil is thin. It's insanity to go up there tonight." Her gaze bore into him. Fenian shifted awkwardly. He glanced at Century. Kiana grit her teeth. "I know that you don't believe in all of this, but I do. Can it not wait until tomorrow?"

"No." Fenian shook his head. "Time is of the essence. It's now or never."

Kiana looked to Hal for support, but the American was just impassively watching them. "Can you not just fucking humour me, Liam?"

"Sorry, mo muirnin. I promise I'll be back quick as I can. I'll be having that drink with you."

"Why the speed?" Kiana pressed, unmollified.

Fenian knew his woman. She would not be sympathetic to a Wammy's House race. "Male mysteries." He grinned, charmingly, at her. She held his gaze for longer than was comfortable, but he held it right back. "Like me not barging in on Grainne's menarche ritual thing. This is..."

"Don't give me shit."

"Ok, I won't." Fenian held out his hand. "So, keys?"

Kiana sighed and turned to Hal. "You were right. It is a madness that takes over them." Beside the small campfire, Hal grimaced in empathy. "You want me to leave the fire? I'm going with him."

Behind Fenian, Century smirked, his head bowed.   Hal rose, dusting off her clothing. "Where's Mello?"

Fenian was frowning. "Ki, you don't have to come. I'm not here to interrupt your ritual."

"That's done and over." Kiana countered. "I did that at dusk. Now I've sat with the fire. If you're going into a psychic maelstrom, then I'm coming too."

Century snorted. "Maelstrom."

Fenian looked from him to his girlfriend and back. "The fuck is up with you people?"

"Mail." Century clarified.

Fenian gestured him into silence. "Ki, come if you fucking want to, but it's not necessary. If it is a hotbed of ghosties, then you're the last person who needs to be there. You know me, psychic as a fucking doorknob. Besides, it would be better if you were here, calling me when you see that Camaro leaving."

"Dream on, Liam." Kiana, after a glance at Hal, kicked over the fire, scattering embers. Hal helped, tipping over rocks. The air was momentarily alive with sparks and flaming twigs in flight. "Hal, thanks a million. I enjoyed our little chat."

Hal smiled. "It was very illuminating for me too." She winked at Fenian and Century. "I'll stay here. There's still three of them unaccounted for."

"Hal." Fenian bit his lip. "Would you do us a big favour? Call us when..."

"I'm impartial." Hal's smile never slipped. "Sorry."

"That's not impartial. That's helping Mello." Fenian looked disdainful. "But that's alright. That's what Watari does. Fucking help Mello and the rest of us go hang. I never had any help from Watari and I don't fucking expect to..."

Hal's annoyance flashed in her eyes, but she managed to keep it from her voice. "I've got Matt to agree to see Valerie, on your request. Don't try to emotionally blackmail me, Fenian."

Fenian turned on his heel and stormed off back up the beach. Century shrugged, wrinkled up his nose and took off after him, at a more leisurely pace. Kiana exhaled loudly, "I never saw him lose his temper until we came here. It fucking gets to them, that place."

Hal nodded. "Yes. It does."

Author's Note: There is a discussion in progress about this and other stories in this series here: http://mrsjeevas.joharrington.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=11
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Annals of Fear II