Disclaimer; I do not own Death Note or its associative works, nor do I make any sort of profit on this work. I merely write for pleasure, and in the hope of providing enjoyment to others.
A/N; I hope you enjoy this oneshot. Depending on how it is received this will develop into the B centric story I promised back at the end of Confessions, Confusions and Confinement. So, yeah, I really hope you like it. Please tell me what you think and...
Please read and review!
Pour Vous Sauver, Mon Espérance.
It is known what happened when the shinigami Ryuk dropped the notebook of death down onto planet Earth. The full adventure, drama and horror of their events is well documented. If we look back further we can see to the case where the one with the Shinigami eyes fought the greatest detective that ever lived, the greatest that has ever lived. This too is well documented, the details of the case revealed to the world by L's most erstwhile heir Mello.
We can push back a short while further, following Beyond back to the place he ran from. Now things become difficult to see. For what made Beyond run? What made him choose to fight against L? What inspired him to do the deeds he did?
Move in closer now, and see at last we can see the night that made Beyond who he was, that made him do the things he did. There on the roof of the large stately building before you, the wind wiping round it as a storm reeks havoc on the surrounding area, there is where it happened. Focus hard on one secluded corner and to the figure trembling horribly as they hold onto the wall staring out into the night.
Who is he? He is A.
Beyond's only friend, and greatest competition… and his greatest hope. His only hope.
Until recently his laughter and happy exuberance filled the corridors at Wammy's, a boy secure in his abilities and sure in his powers. But something in him has broken and the tears that fall from his big, blue eyes mingle in the rain and go unnoticed. Just as their quiet pleading screams and entreaties to the people closest to him had done for weeks, while inside the light began to die.
Would you stop him as he edges closer to the edge before him? Would you cry out and help the broken boy before the worst occurs?
There is one who certainly would, you can hear his footsteps now, pounding up the stairs, and you can almost feel his desperation flooding out onto the roof, because he knows. Oh yes he knows. But still he tries.
"Atrus!" the scream rips across the roof as the door slams back, the desperate individual appearing, but in the force of the wind it is barely a whisper as it meets the grief stricken boy.
He turns and starts back as he sees the dark haired teenager, backing away towards the edge. Seeing his friend seems to be pushing him closer, not further away, to doing what now dominates his thoughts.
"Don't!" Beyond screams, edging closer, "come back!"
Atrus stares into Beyond's eyes for the briefest of moments, but then he shakes his head, twirls and jumps into the night and over the edge.
"NO!"
The dark haired boy runs to the edge and stares down at the body of his friend crumpled five storeys below. No-one can lie at that angle and survive, and the lack of the red shining letters and numbers above the body tells him that he is right.
He has lost his reason to continue on, A had been his only hope. Without him there is nothing, he has no purpose. Why try to become anything when your fate was already sealed? Nothing could be changed… and he had tried so hard.
He jerks round as he hears movement behind him and his grief turns to sudden rage.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT! ALWAYS PUSHING, ALWAYS DEMANDIND MORE, NEVER CARING!" Beyond screamed, "I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS! I WILL MAKE YOU FEEL THE SUFFERING YOU CAUSED HIM!"
"Beyond I-," the target began, but could say nothing more as he was pushed to the ground and the traumatised Beyond fled past him and down the stairs into the darkness.
Beyond runs down the corridor, there is no longer any point to staying here he considers, no point to staying near him, the man he once had idolised. He would…
…
WAIT, we should go no further now.
To do so will only show us what we already know.
What if we could change things? What if this was a moment with further reaching consequences than we could imagine. Perhaps this is not just an interesting and rather traumatic historical event leading to the story we know so very well.
Go back, force time to once again reverse. There is only one chance, and only a small change can be made, the universe does not allow such intrusions easily. To try to change the course of history away from what we have seen is even more difficult…
A is stood once more alive atop the tower staring out into the storm and Beyond is racing up the stairs. The time has come to change events, what could be done? What needs to be changed to save poor A's life?
The change is so simple, it is stunning such a thing would change the fate of thousands…
…
Beyond raced up the stairs, his blood pounding in his ears as he ascended upwards. He would not lose his friend, he couldn't, if he did there was no point to life. It had to be malleable, he couldn't lose everyone he ever met, couldn't know precisely how long they would be alive and not have any chance to change it…
…
He doesn't stop as he bursts out onto the roof, forcing his screaming legs to carry him forward and push A down onto the roof tiles.
"WHY ATRUS?!" Beyond shrieks, tears adorning his cheeks along with the rain; "don't leave me! Why didn't you tell me you were in so much pain! How could I save you, how could I help you, if I didn't know?!"
"I thought this would give you what you wanted," A whispered, "I don't want this, I don't want any of this anymore."
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Beyond cried, his head resting on A's chest.
It seemed this thought had never occurred to A, the need to be independent had been so drilled into those at Wammy's that he had never thought to ask for help. They had been taught it was weak, taught it was dangerous to do such things.
Both heads look up as another figure bursts onto the scene, the horror unmistakable in his eyes as he takes in the scene before him, and then he too is crouching over A.
"No more," the figure mutters, "I won't let them do this anymore."
Then A's eyes widen as arms pull him close and up out of Beyond's grasp. Then it is Beyond's turn to look startled as a hand is suddenly held out to him, the figure turning to look at him as he does so. He reaches out and takes it slowly and follows along mutely as they leave the roof. The figure just managing to carry A while he holds onto B's hand.
"Promise me something A," the figure says suddenly, as the door finally closes and blocks out the storm, "you will tell me if something is bothering you in the future. I can't protect you if you don't tell me."
A nods slightly, looking up in awe at the one who is carrying him. A person he probably never expected to see, or hear treating him so kindly.
"Thank you for saving him B," the figure whispers, his hand tightening around the young teenager's fingers.
Beyond nods slightly in acknowledgement; he is still in shock, he had never truly expected to succeed, his eyes keep flicking to above A's head where the numbers swirl and reform constantly as if the future is having to reform to accommodate him, before he can be given a fresh time to die. Beyond doesn't quite believe it, his own world is having to be reformed too; the future is malleable.
"Whatever happens," the figure says as they reach the bottom of the staircase, "you both are living with me in the future. I do not have time to look after others, but I expect I can do much better than they have been here, if this is what people are reduced to."
"What?" A whispers; the first words he has spoken since the evening began.
"I will worry about you both constantly if I can't see you every day. It will take time for me to change Wammy's and I am not leaving you both here while it happens."
Beyond feels faint, nothing seems real. He had thought his idol untouchable and aloof, he had thought him the cause of their harsh schedules, and now they were to be saved by him. His control cracks and his tears flow again, he has never felt this weak in his life. It is doubtful he ever will again.
"L," Beyond almost whimpers and shifts closer to his idol and buries his head against his arm; he misses L's suddenly startled expression at his motion, but the arm doesn't move away.
Then the commotion of the others at Wammy's heading their way becomes audible and, as if a switch had been thrown, Beyond suddenly becomes as apparently expressionless as he had thought L to be. He shifts back from L and the final changes are made, Beyond now looks his usual enclosed self. He does not realise how much he looks like L as he does this, he sees too much of the differences between them for that. He thinks too highly of L to see that.
Then the frantic people arrive...
…
This is where we must leave things, because the universe is shifting and we will be blocked from the future if we do not move now. But we must not travel too far, only a few years, and then perhaps we can see if L was true to his word. From here we can then see if the change has done any good. After all, as far as we know, Beyond was never part of the Death Note case… but then, he never got the chance…
And of course there is A, so little is known about him. What can he be now he has a chance to live?