A's POV

I'm in New York, it just, seems so surreal. The smell of cigarette smoke is thick in the air, and every other street corner smells like roasted nuts or shish kabobs. The people are constantly moving in every which direction and the buildings are tall enough to touch the sky. It's truly breath taking.

B is sitting next to me and L is across from us. L is in his usual crouch with his eyes closed. He hates being around B. I don't really understand why though, I mean he really isn't that horrible to L. They bicker now and again, and they have gotten into a physical fight maybe twice, but it never seems that bad. But then, I had just moved in when B and L had that fight. All Watari told me was that at one time they were very close, and then they never wanted to be around each other again.

When I asked B he stated that he did feel comfortable talking about it. After that I never questioned anyone about it again, because I know that if B doesn't feel comfortable talking about it, then it MUST be bad.

Watari likes forcing us all together though. He says it'll be a good way to develop social skills. I think its because he believes that if we don't become friends with each other we wont have any at all. Which is possible, but still unlikely. I still talk with everyone in the orphanage; I even became friends with Mello, despite the age gap. B doesn't talk to the others because they are scared of him. And L…well maybe he does need some help in that department. But it still doesn't make what he's doing right.

I sighed and thought about what I was going to say to my mother. I knew why she left my father and me. I knew why she hid towards the back during his funeral. I knew that she kept my brother a secret from her lover. I also know that she ignored my other attempts to get into contact with her. Maybe this time will work; maybe Watari can help, maybe…

I didn't notice that the whole time my leg was vibrating. It happens when my brain races with too many thoughts. B put his hand on my leg and brought me back to reality. "If you shake anymore, you're going to make the limo shake with you."

I stared into his big red eyes; they were like flames. I felt myself still as I let myself get taken over by them. That's why I liked B; he was always able to keep me grounded. Now L had his eyes open and was watching me intently. "I thought that A was no longer having anxiety attacks." For once his voice wasn't monotone; it was concerned?

I glared at L, because the last thing I needed was for him to go and tell Watari. Back when I still wanted to be, and was number one I would constantly get anxiety attacks. I couldn't handle the pressure of it, solving cases doesn't even make me happy. Watari put me on some medication but it only made things worse. I felt like I was being suffocated when I was on the stuff, but that happens when I take any type of medication.

I remember one day he had B bring me my medication. B walked in with a tray of my new prescription and a bottle of water, he placed the tray on my bedside table and then stared at me for a few moments. I tried to stare back at him but I was shaking so fiercely that my vision was blurred. B grabbed the pill jar and flushed all the pills down the toilet. Then he sat beside me on my bed and viciously pulled me into his arms. I remember convulsing violently and feeling hot and sweaty. But he held me so tight and he forced me to look into his eyes. I don't know how he did it, but everything slowed and I was slowly able to breathe normally again. After that night I never needed my medication again.

B forced me to rest my head on his shoulder as he roughly played with my hair. I don't know why it relaxes me so much but I'm not going to question it. B looked L dead in the eye and said, "Did it ever occur to you that maybe she's excited to see her mom tomorrow."

I sighed and snuggled closer to B as he yanked a bit harder. He paused for a second after I did this and then resumed stroking my hair. This time much softer, which meant that he was probably deep in thought. L had already gone back to ignoring us. He was, by now, used to seeing us like this.

About 20 minutes later we all arrived at our hotel. It was called Doubletree and it was really close to Time Square. Watari always thought it was safest to be in a more crowded area. Watari had bought the master suite so we would have a lot of space.

The first thing I did was set up my laptop, and then I put away my clothes. I had just finished changing into a baggy sweatshirt and shorts when B came knocking at my door. I told him to wait a second as I finished tying my hair back into a ponytail. Once I opened the door he pushed past me without waiting for me to invite him in.

"Oh hi B, come on in. Why thank you A." I muttered sarcastically to myself. After I closed the door I saw B pacing back and forth with a jar of jam in his hand. I sighed because I knew Watari had just said something to upset him. "B?"

He stopped pacing in front of me and growled in frustration. "He's making us sleep in the same room." My eyes bulged as I thought about what he just said. This will not work. L will be dead by the end of the night; Watari is insane. I knew that he would use this trip as a way to make them friends again, but I never thought that he would be this forward. "Just calm down and-"

He grabbed me by the collar of my sweatshirt and screamed, "I am calm." I felt a shiver go through my spine as his eyes bore into mine. They were practically glowing. But then his eyes softened and he slowly released his hold on me.

With downtrodden eyes he apologized and stepped away from me. I nodded slowly and said, "I'm going to go talk to Watari."

B's POV

I watched her leave the room and sighed. I thought I was getting better, I guess I was wrong…

I growled once more and fell on her bed facing up towards the ceiling. Before Mr. Whammy found me, my life was messed up. It was filled with screams, hysteria, and torture. I used to help my dad in an insane asylum, Bedlam to be more specific. He was a scientist there… but I wouldn't call his experiments scientific, they were torture.

He always had me help him as his lab assistant; he said it would be a good use of my brain. He made me bind men down for shock therapy; he made me watch every lobotomy, and he had me shine strobe lights at his patients as he played odd music. The strobe lights and music were to make people regress to the most horrific points of their lives. It was horrible, and after a while I started enjoying it.

Watari was actually the one to get my fathers department shut down. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that day. I was setting up the electric chair when the police had forced open he door. I dived behind the chair once I heard the crash.

My father was in the other room screaming my name like a maniac. I ignored his screams and stayed hidden behind the chair, I was too scared to move. They restrained him and proceeded in taking him away. Watari had noticed me hiding and approached cautiously. Then he asked me what my name was and why I was inside of an insane asylum.

I told him that my name was Beyond Birthday and I was the lab assistant. He must have seen something in me because he asked me to come to Whammies. I excelled in my classes but I regressed socially. I had a tendency to hurt anyone that came near me; I didn't necessarily mean to, but it was how I was raised.

But with Watari's help I was able to get better. I stopped, forcing, hitting, and biting. Why is it that she makes me want to cause her pain? I care about her a lot, and I hate it when she's hurt, and yet… I guess I'm just going to have to face the facts, and accept that I'm a sadist.

I heard the door open and felt the bed dip to my right side. I turned m head and saw that she was sitting Indian style beside me. "What did you and Watari talk about?" I asked.

She smiled sweetly at me and said, "you are going to be sharing a room with me while we are in New York." I shot up and screamed "what?" as I stared at her wide eyed.

She giggled and said, "I simply argued my opinion and suggested an alternative solution. And as you very well know, it's pretty much impossible to argue against my reasoning skills." I can't believe what I'm hearing. Why would Watari let a boy and a girl room together, especially when we are teenagers? But then, A always had a way of having people wrapped around her finger…

She pulled me out of my thoughts by snuggling into my body. I tensed for a second before I wove my fingers through her soft hair. She sighed contently and hummed softly to herself. I looked down at her body it was so relaxed; I don't understand how she could be so relaxed around someone like me. I noticed that the numbers above her head had changed again. I wonder when they'll stop changing…

We stayed like that for a while in a comfortable silence. "…B?" she asked while tracing circles into my stomach. The sensation felt nice, but it was nice in a way that I'm sure she hadn't realized. A is far too innocent to be that bold, she is only 14.

"What is it?" I looked into her eyes, which were surprisingly unmasked by her goggles. They were big and they sparkled like emeralds, it's a shame that she always covers them up.

"I want to sleep, so do u mind crashing on the couch now?"

I smiled and yanked her hair one last time before saying "sure thing." As a response she gasped and then smiled.