He lay broken, damaged, ruined. Shattered, useless, failed. A shadow of a shadow, the broken reflection of a man he wasn't. And yet, Beyond Birthday wasn't feeling unhappy. In fact, today was a good day. He would see somebody die today. Yes, the man opposite him in fact. His numbers had run out, and B was very interested in exactly how the beefy child-killer... Aito Suke according to the name above the man's head ... would meet his end. He dearly hoped it wouldn't be as dull as a heart attack.

He sat crouched in his cell, large globes staring intently, creepily out of a face that once resembled the world's greatest detective, but now was red-raw and burnt. A vain man would have been devastated to have his visage smudged and blurred, but B's only disappointment was that he had moved yet further from L.

He looked up interestedly, as the final number hovering above the head of today's entertainment faded and disappeared

Sing a song a sixpence, a pocket full of rye,
Mr Aito Suke, please show me how you die.

The man was looking furtive, staring at something that B could not see. As a stream of red spattered the stone tiles, B's curiosity was piqued. He crawled forwards on all fours, staring at the man. Clever, the man had smuggled in some kind of sharp object and was neatly slicing open his veins. Much more interesting than a heart attack. B only wished he had a better view. Today was his lucky day. The man sank to his knees, twisting so he was almost facing B, and feverishly sawing at his wrist. B's face split into a grin as blood spurted all over the floor, all over the man's clothes and hands and skin and the show was his, all his.

By the time the guards arrived, Aito Suke was already dead, and Beyond Birthday was giggling as he watched their feeble attempts to save him. It was too late, all too late! And he told them so, almost singing his words as they tried to ignore him, pretending that he didn't exist. Well, he was used to that feeling.

That was that, and all was over until the next time. Unfortunately although human life was short, it was too long to really keep B's attention. He would wait for the next time of course, but it would be nice if there wasn't such a huge gap between each beautiful show. The last one had been months ago, and from what he could see from his vantage point, his neighbours all had years to live. Such a shame.

Beyond Birthday had a visitor. The one visitor he was most glad to see in all the world. Of course, they weren't reflections any longer. They weren't alike enough to turn heads from the guards or the other prisoners. B resented that. He wanted them to know that he was L. But no, they had been ripped apart. By his own failed attempt at success.

"B." his visitor says in a quiet monotone, sitting in a chair opposite him.

B mimicks his pose flawlessly, staring back into large dark eyes. His own eyes glance above L's head, dancing numbers, shining life. Not long now, L. And who will take your place then? Who will dance in your shoes... or lack of shoes at least. B grinned, cocking his head to stare fixedly at L, who remained unperturbed.

"Come to see me? Why is that?" B wanted to know.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Of? About? I rarely get the pleasure of the privilege of the company of the great detective L."

"Tell me, B. Have you always been quite this insane, or has life in prison driven you to the brink? Or indeed, are you merely play-acting for my benefit?"

"I'm as sane as you are, L." B replied, imitating L's drawl perfectly.

L raised a wry eyebrow, and B took a fast step forwards, pressing himself against the glass of his cell, mere inches from L. If he had startled the detective, L did not show it. He had managed to keep his composure thus far and B laughed. He licked the transparent barrier in front of the man's face, placing his palms just in front of L's shoulders, and beginning to slam his hips against the glass. He let out wild erotic moans, howling like a wild animal as he pretended to fuck L. The detective was not as stony as to ignore this. His eyes were wider still, and his mouth was slightly slack.

"B... stop."

B slid up and down the glass, standing on tip-toes so he could ram his crotch in front of L's face over and over again.

"Stop this!" L hissed, looking down and away from Beyond.

B took this as a sign of defeat on L's side, and dropped to his knees in front of the other man with a wide grin.

"So." he said perfectly calmly, pulling his knees up to his chest and slipping his thin arms around them.

"I did not come here for your games, Beyond."

"Why did you come then? Did you miss me? I've missed you. You need me, L. You know it's true."

"Please do explain why I would need anything to do with a man who mercilessly slaughtered three innocent victims to prove an invalid point?" L inquired

"Three victims that you found," B corrected "A detective such as yourself should not presume that a case ends just because the perpetrator has left no more clues. I let your puppet find what I wanted her to find, but that does not mean that she found all there was to be found."

"You are saying that there are more victims?" L demanded, leaning forwards so his nose was almost touching the glass.

B reached out to trace L's features with both hands. He rested his forehead against the glass, breathing out mist and drawing a love heart in it.

"I did not say anything. A good detective does not jump to conclusions either," he answered maddeningly.

"I do not think that there was any more victims if they have not been found. You are nothing if not a show-off." L answered "You killed Believe Bridesmaid, Quarter Queen and Backyard Bottomslash in an attempt to better me, not because you enjoy killing. An attempt to better me which failed due to my puppet."

"It was an attempt to prove that I am better. I already know that I am greater, even if the world does not. I would have greater succeeded were I not imprisoned in this box. Nevertheless, I have slowly taken everything that was yours."

"You have managed to act as I do. I hardly call that..."

"There you go again! I was not referring to your mannerisms. If you had cared to listen, I actually said that I had taken everything that was yours, not all that you are."

He could almost hear L's brain working as he processed that information.

"B, explain what you mean or I shall have to..."

"Nate." B hissed, his eyes lighting up as L's face was transformed into an expression of shock.

"What do you..."

"I can understand the appeal in the boy. Fantastic specimen, and intelligent as well. A little too blank to succeed as your successor I think, but he moaned wonderfully."

"You... you're..."

For once, the great L was lost for words. B grinned maliciously.

"Such soft hair, creamy skin, pliable in my hands... beautiful... I could really see you in him, and then it was me in him," B chuckled "He was yours, and then he was mine."

"You are lying. There is no way that..."

"No way? I think there is at least a forty percent chance that I am telling the truth from your perspective. No? Need more proof? All right then. I'll tell you about the other boy. I quite liked that one. That was interesting."

L looked at him dumbly, clearly wondering if he could possibly be serious. But he had a horrible feeling that B was actually telling the truth. He felt sick to his stomach.

"That one at least tried to struggle. He had fire. He isn't like you at all, but still I prefer him to dear Near. I won eventually against that sweet little blonde. Mmm... those lips... tasted just like chocolate... chocolate and blood... I got him to scream for me in the end." B told him, thrusting into the air obscenely.

"Why??" L demanded, looking even paler than usual.

"I took them from you, L. Long ago. They're mine now. You should be mine as well, L."

"Then... why didn't you kill them?"

"Maybe... but that would only have taken them from you, and I wanted them for myself."

"They aren't yours."

"Oh, but I beg to differ. I have imprinted myself on them more firmly than you ever can."

L stared. There was absolutely no point in reasoning with this madman. His proteges were only young boys, they were innocent. He understood how B's twisted mind could have reasoned that violating them made them his... but it was so disgusting, so vile...

"They will ever remember me, L! Long after you are dead and gone! I will take your place!"

The detective got to his feet, turning his back on the hysterical murderer.

"Goodbye, B." he said, as he disappeared

"Till next we meet. L Lawliet." Beyond Birthday whispered to himself.