Hehe, I'm glad this seems to be well-liked so far. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I get writer's block... And I get lazy. Often. But here it is!
Meeting with the man, whom Beyond Birthday was informed was to be called "Mr. Roger," took much less time than he had expected. They met in one of the orphanage's many conference rooms, where orphans met to get to know prospective parents. Most of these rooms were coated with thick layers of dust from misuse. Beyond sat quietly on the overstuffed chair that he had been provided, facing "Mr. Roger," who sat on a similar chair. Numata was, as B earlier requested, sitting beside the boy in a less comfortable wooden dining chair. There was a silence for a few moments before Roger finally asked, speaking in fluent Japanese, "I've heard a lot about you, Beyond." The pale boy shifted uncomfortably, saying nothing. "Would you mind taking a little test for me?" The older man asked when it was apparent that he was getting no response from the boy.
B nodded and mumbled, his voice dry, "I will." Roger asked Beyond Birthday a series of questions, all of which were answered immediately and emotionlessly.
Finally, the stream of questions stopped with one final look to the boy. "Beyond, I'm going to have to ask you to excuse us for a moment. I would like to speak with Numata-san alone."
He glanced from Roger to Numata and nodded, "Okay." He stood and left the room obediently, though his curiosity got the better of him as soon as the door was closed. He leaned against the heavy oak and pressed his ear close to it. He could just barely make out the muffled conversation on the other side.
"...A very smart boy. I just worry about him. The other children here treat him unfairly," Numata was saying.
"I understand. He certainly is different..." Roger replied, "Tell me, has he always been this... somber?"
"Well... No. When he first arrived, he was the happiest, most determined child on campus. He threw himself into his work and participated in class regularly, always with a smile... But then the other children began to tease him for it, eventually getting physical. His smile slowly faded away, though his dedication was always there. He kept to himself and never once fought back or attempted to run away." There was a sigh, "I just want to see him smile like that again. I thought that this might be a good opportunity for him to get to know some other bright children. I'm sure that they would be able to understand him a bit better. Maybe he could even make some friends, and learn to smile again..." That was enough for Beyond Birthday. He didn't want to hear any more. He stood and went off to his room. It didn't matter if Roger accepted him or not. He couldn't stay anymore. He didn't want Numata to worry about him. He didn't want to be a burden. So, he went to his room and began to pack his bags.
Beyond had only just finished packing and was lying on his bed when Numata walked in. She frowned when she saw the luggage sitting beside the door. "Beyond, were you packing?" He shrugged in response. "You shouldn't do things like this. You could just be setting yourself up for a big disappointment."
Beyond rolled his eyes. She didn't understand. How could she? He contemplated explaining, but then decided that it was more trouble than it was worth and asked softly, "What did Mr. Roger say?"
Numata sat at the foot of Beyond Birthday's bed and said gently, "He said that you are a brilliant child and that they would be happy to take you, but only if you want to go... Beyond, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." He muttered, sitting up. He looked Numata in the eye, easily detecting her worry, her hope... "I'll go with him."
"You will?" She asked, clearly excited about this, "That's wonderful, Beyond-"
"For you." He added, "Because I don't want you to worry." With this, he stood silently and gathered his bags, leaving the room without so much as a good-bye. That was the last time he saw Numata, and the last time he thought about her. From that point on, everything was L.
During the entire plane ride to England, Roger told Beyond Birthday about Wammy's. For the most part, B tuned him out, but when L was mentioned, his attention was captured. He was fascinated by the stories of all of the crimes the man had solved, by all of the things he had done. Slowly, he gained respect for L. Slowly, he began to see L as a role model... Slowly, he began to wish he could be L. Naturally, his mind was consumed with the idea when Roger finally got around to telling B that it was, in fact, possible. He said that, from all of the children at Wammy's, the brightest and most competent would, in fact, be chosen to inherit the name of "L." By the time the boy left the plane, he had found a new purpose; a new reason to live. To become L. If that wasn't possible; well.... He would just have to beat him. Either way, he would come out on top. Either way, he would be number one. ((A/N: Sounding familiar?))
Short chapter, I know... But that seemed like a good place to end it. Hopefully the next one will be much longer to make up for it!