A/N: Hey there! This is my second Beyond Birthday fan fiction. You don't need to read my other Beyond Birthday fan fiction, 'Names,' in order to read this one, but it would give a better understanding as to how I portray Beyond Birthday.
The foreign tapping of heels coming closer echoed inside of the cell. The cell mimicked a dark box with barely enough light illuminating to be able to identify ones surrounding, though not insufficient enough for the absence of light to go unnoticed. The room was a perfect square cut in half by a translucent wall; on one side of the wall there was a door leading to freedom and civilization, while on the opposite side laid a simple bed, a toilet and a focused young man hugging his knees as he crouched making the room seem bigger than it was. This was Beyond Birthday's cell.
Beyond Birthday focused on the sound of the heels. A persistent pattern of clicks and clacks was created as the person got closer.
She's confident, Beyond Birthday analyzed. Just as he made that assumption the pattern of heels hitting the floor become irregular with lots of intervals in between and forced steps made as said person dragged her feet across the floor.
Maybe not, Beyond Birthday reanalyzed.
The door's handle was pushed downward slowly but the door was flung open failing to hide the hesitation the person felt.
Walking in the room was a woman who seemed older then he had remembered her being, yet still looking as young as ever. Her hazel eyes scanned every inch of the room unnecessarily, simply to show of her detective skills and position. She sat on the only inanimate object on her side of the room, a chair.
Beyond Birthday was crouched opposite of her giving her his back. Neither one of them aid a word but the small noises each one created as they made slight movements spoke volumes.
"I know I have your full attention, even though you won't look at me," she finally had the guts to say.
Beyond Birthday leapt out of his position and turned towards her with an exaggerated smile. He spread his arms and walked towards her with fake excitement seeming to intent on giving her a hug. His movement was stopped by the translucent wall separating them, which appeared to also stop his acting. He lowered his arms and his smile was replaced with a frown as he walked backwardly towards his bed and sat on it, still eying her the whole time.
He sat on the bed with his feet dangling down like a normal person, though such a normal way of sitting seemed bizarre on such an abnormal person.
"Naomi Misora," Beyond Birthday stated as a more befitting greeting then 'Hello' or others under that similar category.
"Beyond Birthday," she replied testing the two words unsure if they were accurate to describe the person in front of her.
With the position they both were in, they could finally have a perfect view of the other. They analyzed each other as two high school friends would during a ten year reunion; each person wondering how the other turned out to be so different after years of separation.
Naomi's long black hair and smooth pale skin hinted long hours of grooming. She was dressed in a knee-length dark tight dress that was both professional and flattering on her. Her fourth finger on her left hand was decorated by a modest diamond ring, while her right wrist held an expensive looking watch. She physically might seem upgraded to the average person's eye but not BB's. He could tell by the way she repeatedly smoothed non-existing creases on her dress and the way she played with her hair that she had lost some of her distinctive confidence. It seemed like she too could not understand how she got to be who she was.
Beyond Birthday, on the other hand, looked unrecognizable; not only was that because of the patches of burnt skin drooping and in desperate need of being smoothed out but also because of the lack of makeup. Beyond Birthday no longer had the utensils or the need to change his features into ones that mimicked L's. Dark bags and pale skin was absent from his features instead revealing milky skin and unnerving red eyes. He did not show signs of anger or sadness but simply disappointment at the world for not following his plans.
"I'm surprised by your visit," he stated breaking the comfortable silence.
"Did you think I wouldn't visit you?"
"No that's not it; I simply thought you'd visit sooner."
Naomi frowned in response to his confidence; well more accurately, by the fact that he, a prisoner, had more confidence than she.
"Well, what was I to expect? You were probably too busy with your boyfriend," staring at her ring he stated "when did he propose? Was it after you got promoted and he thought he could use you to climb up the ladder of success? Speaking of success, do your co-workers bluntly tell you how undeserving you are for it or do they simply say it behind your back? You do know that the only reason you won against me was because of the hints I gave, ones you wouldn't understand without me deciphering them for you?"
"Stop!" she cried out as her breathing came harshly.
Beyond Birthday smiled. Toying with her mind was, to simply put it, entertaining; especially when most of the things he said were false. Most men would not wish to have a more successful wife, and so her former boyfriend would not have married her if he simply wanted to use her instead he would have continued dating her until he had no use for her. Also, BB knew that the reason he lost was because he underestimated Naomi; she would've been able to solve his case without his hints and help.
"I could've sworn you were nicer," she stated after composing herself.
"It's quite abnormal to describe a murderer as nice"
"I never said you were nice. I said nicer or, in other words, less mean"
Beyond Birthday smiled at her small victory of outsmarting him, the same way a master would smile at his student's success.
"Well, you're not very nice either"
"I'm a detective, did you expect me to let you burn yourself and allow the case to go unsolved?"
"That's not why you're not nice," BB pouted causing Naomi to raise an eyebrow in questioning.
"You come to visit me without an offering for the host, that's quite rude; you should've brought me some strawberry jam"
"What? You were dubbed mentally challenged and sent to an asylum instead of a prison; you should be grateful, a murderer like you deserved to be sentenced to death"
"It's better in fact to be guilty of manslaughter than of fraud about what is fair and just," he stated turning the conversation back to a serious tone.
"Plato? He was a horrible philosopher"
"No, He was a horrible theorist. Philosophers shouldn't be theorists. Philosophers need audiences while theorists need content."
"Still, his philosophy justified crime making criminals seem righteous. But the righteous aren't the ones sentenced to jail for murder," stated annoyed for being outsmarted once more.
"He didn't justify their crime he simply stated that they were more justified than the crimes of lawyers, political leaders, L; all the people that caused others destruction but were admired because they killed in a skillful way, one that made victims praise them."
"Are you claiming that you're not skillful enough to make your crimes dismissed?" Naomi stated acknowledging that she had a better chance winning the argument by attacking his pride than by trying to outsmart him.
"On the contrary, I, too, can do so, but I'm more pretentious in my killing. I wish to strike fear by killing not admiration. In a way, does that not seem more virtuous to you?"
She bit the inside of her bottom lip. She was frustrated, desperate but most of all she knew she was wrong.
"So why have you come? You don't seem like the type to gloat; I'd expect that from L," Beyond Birthday closed the former conversation in victory and moved towards a new one.
"I haven't come to gloat. I came to understand why? You have a great mind; you could work under or rather with L. You could help eliminate corruption," she stated forgetting about the venom she held for him only moments ago "but instead you chose to be a murderer"
"Naomi, Naomi, Naomi," Beyond Birthday repeated her name as though he was speaking to a child "We live in a world where every age in time people like to assume that corruption was of a recent discovery, simply so that they can say 'time will return as it was.' Though, corruption was ever present wherever humans roamed. It is just that some corruptions are more socially acceptable. "
"Two wrongs don't make a right"
"Yes, two wrongs don't make a right; but three lefts make a right and two negatives make a positive," he stated cheerfully.
"Now tell me honestly, why have you visited me? You couldn't have really expected me to see the world in your perspective."
Naomi looked down at her watch but not really focusing on the time it stated.
"My time is over, I have to go"
She stood up abruptly and walked towards the exit no longer trying to keep her composure.
"Say 'hello' to Ray Penber for me," he called out to her causing her to stop suddenly.
A moment of silence passed between them that lasted way too long for his liking. Beyond Birthday could sense Naomi's pure anger, something that he had been foreign to until this very moment.
Naomi visibly fixed her posture as she straightened her back and started walking more confidently than she just had moments ago. The tapping of her feet slowly faded as he realized that his statement had lost him the only person he had considered a friend.
A/N: I sort of have no idea how I'm going to develop the story but Naomi will not be present in the further chapters. Like with all my other stories, constructive criticism is highly appreciated..