Note: Thanks again to all my readers/reviewers! :D

If you've ever read my other story, Gimme Mah Chocolate Foo' (chapter 3), the meeting of A and B will sound familiar. It is, in fact, the exact same series of events. But now, we see it through the perspective of pensive little A.

And BB's comin' to bring the love.


"Love Lies Bleeding"
The Extraordinary

--x--

Just a day,
Just an ordinary day.
Just trying to get by.

Just a boy,
Just an ordinary boy.
But he was looking to the sky.

- Ordinary Day, Vanessa Carlton

--x--

Do you feel it?

It's... so...

Cold.

-x-

A year had passed since L's departure, and in that time, I discovered that he really did not live here. But he had certainly lived here once, for he was an honored alumni with an enormous legacy -- L, the greatest detective in the world. This "legacy" was the most basic and fundamental piece of knowledge in the entire orphanage. Every child in the institution knew his name and fame.

But not his face.

The boy himself was a total mystery. Even the older children, who had lived here when L lived here, did not know his identity. This baffled me. For one thing, there are only about ten other children in the orphanage, and it is difficult to imagine how a single one could possibly slip in and out invisibly.

Let alone L, who does not exactly embody the norm of society. (He sticks out. A lot.)

Though, over the course of the year, I began to understand. Simply put, everyone here was extremely aloof. Always, the other orphans were concentrating on some little detail about themselves that needed either tuning up or toning down. Always, the mantra was, "I wish I could be as smart as L," or , "I wish I could be as good as L." They were all immensely focused and driven -- always striving to impress. They were all striving to be number one.

This, I did not understand. Ranking meant nothing to me. Yet, perhaps it was because I was already number one, and I'd expended no flaring passion or painstaking toil to achieve it. I couldn't understand how the other children were so willing to sacrifice every other aspect of life for their own success. I couldn't understand how they managed to see only their own imperfections, obsessively scrubbing away at them, until they failed to notice everything else.

Everyone here was extremely aloof; either that, or they were all clinically blind. I joke, of course, but -- who knows? They may as well have been. I didn't know them very well. No one really knew anyone else.

It's cold, here, at Wammy's House.

Do you feel it?


An Ordinary Day

--x--

Another cycle of the seasons, and it was summer again.

I was standing outside on the porch, beneath the overhanging roof, where I would not be assaulted by the heavy rain. Today was one of those disgusting days -- too hot to stay awake, too humid to fall asleep. I was just bored, really, and wanted to take a look at the time. Outside, there is an attachment of the building that serves as both a bell tower and a clock tower. I stood in the far corner of the porch, near one of the roof's wooden support pillars, and tried to peer out at the clock through the opaque darkness of the weather.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shattered overhead.

It was so sudden, and so obnoxiously loud, that I flinched and bumped against the wooden pillar. In that brief moment, when the lightning illuminated the world, I happened to look up at the pillar and see horizontal lines drawn onto the wood -- all marked "L," with numbers beside them.

When the light faded, I examined the wood more closely, realizing that the lines were merely markings of height and the numbers were ages. This was probably a pillar that L had used to measure his growth every year. Just an ordinary thing.

But I was appalled at the height difference. Feeling that old stir of competition, I pressed my back indignantly against the pillar and marked my height with a finger, pinching the damp wood to leave a nail mark. I stood back to see how I compared.

And then, looking at those ordinary lines, I had an epiphany.

-x-

The door opened.

I was pulled away from my inner musings when I heard the front door open behind me. I looked back and saw Mr. Wammy -- when did he get here? -- and a young boy with him. Mr. Wammy didn't see me, I don't think, but the boy happened to be staring directly at me. Our eyes locked for a moment, before the door closed between us.

Now, I didn't get a good look at him, but... I thought he was kinda...

--x--

"A."

Startled, A turned.

"L!" she exclaimed.

The boy came around from the back of the building, walking with a hunched gait toward the girl on the porch. L smiled. He patted her on the head, and she swatted his hand irritably.

"How have you been doing in your classes?"

"Fine," she mumbled.

"You are still ranked first, yes?"

She paused, then answered slowly, "...Yes. Still first."

L nodded, as though to say, "As expected of you." He was about to leave the porch, but A stopped him.

"Still first to succeed."

L stopped walking.

"Who told you?"

A gave no immediate answer. Instead, she padded over to L and took him by the shirtsleeve, leading him to the corner of the porch. "Look," she prompted, and he looked. Before them stood a pillar which Watari had used over the past few years to chart L's growth. He stared quizzically at A, who was gazing at the pillar with a faraway look.

"No one told me. I saw it for myself," she said quietly. "I saw that, one day, I would have to measure up to you."

L failed to see the connection here.

"You are being vague," he stated bluntly. "Watari and I have only recently discussed the topic of raising a successor. We have not informed anyone else of this. How could you have known?"

But A seemed not to have heard him. She went to the pillar and reached up, trying to touch the highest mark -- it was just beyond fingertip length. If she had strained a bit more, she could have brushed it, but she simply let her arm fall back in place.

"Don't you see, L? I can't reach you."

Her expression was oddly meaningful, so unlike the childish competitor with whom he'd bonded over a game of Connect Four, just one short year ago.

"You can't do this. You can't impose your life on me. Otherwise... it may be that your life will snuff out mine."


Fraternizing

--x--

L didn't say much after my little revelation. He was quiet for a bit, and then, suddenly, he took me by the shoulders and shoved me inside the building. I thought he was going to start another fight -- and I would have been ready, I assure you -- but he just said, "You will catch a cold out here," and walked away.

I assume that translates into: "Begone. I no longer wish to see your face."

-x-

I was now sitting on the stairs in the front lobby, mulling over my thoughts. Somehow, that sudden realization had made perfect sense, and I did not question it. L even confirmed it with his words. Rather, I wondered how I came about knowing it.

Leaning against the banister, my eyes wandered between the bars and looked down at the foyer below, where I saw the doors to the main office open. Sitting up again, I watched as Mr. Wammy and that other boy exited. Wammy tilted his hat and slipped away, leaving the boy to stand alone in the dark. It must have gotten even darker since I had gone outside to look at the clock, so I couldn't see the boy very well. He seemed to have black hair and a tannish complexion.

"Hey," I called softly.

The boy's head shot around wildly in all directions -- which was rather amusing -- before his gaze met mine. He stared at me, then meekly shuffled closer to the base of the stairway. "I'm A, by the way," I said. "That's how they name us. With just a letter."

He didn't respond. He just kept looking at me. We listened to the footfalls of rain echo against our silence.

"Did... they name you?"

"B," he said simply. His tone was light and innocent, with a slight British lilt.

"B," I repeated. Then, as an afterthought, I asked carefully, "And what does B stand for?"

"Backup."

"I see..."

So he was branded with this "successor" stigma as well.

"That means you're among the more brilliant kids here. You see, they name you by your IQ, starting with me, A, and going down the alphabet. They say that I'm ranked number one."

This seemed to pique his interest. To my surprise, all shyness was lost as he scrambled up the stairs and knelt down a few steps below me, asking excitedly, "Ranked? For what?"

He reminded me vaguely of an energetic puppy.

"Ranked by your intelligence--" Here I paused a bit. "--and for your aptitude to become L. We... all... want to become L." I seethed inwardly at my own remark.

"L? What's L?" the puppy yipped.

"What is L, indeed," I muttered. He tilted his head at me and blinked.

"You are 'Backup,' B. That is, you are L's backup. In case L should die, you may become L," I explained dryly.

"I'll become L?" he repeated, puzzled. "Is L a person or a thing?"

My thoughts exactly.

"I think the better question is: are we people or things?"

He tilted his head the other way, staring up at me with wonder. "What do you mean?"

"Well. When someone takes your name, B, they take your identity. By naming you, they claim you as theirs to name. Are we objects that we can be so taken and rearranged? Who -- or what -- is L to do such a thing? ...What is L, indeed." I stared down at my lap angrily. I didn't mean to confuse this boy with all my rambling, but I couldn't hold it in -- this indignation. I expected B to simply leave, being put-off by my nonsensical rambling.

Instead, he stayed and spoke again, as though trying to soothe me. "It's not like they take your name, though. You still have your real..."

"No, I don't," I interrupted coldly. "Real names aren't allowed here. I'm just A now. I'm Alternate L."

A mischievous grin spread across B's face.

"But I can see it. Your real one."

I blinked at him.

"You can see my name?" I asked, not comprehending.

What did he mean? Was that some kind of obscure metaphor or something...?

"It's right there!"

He suddenly lurched forward, and I fell back against the stairs in surprise. He was right up in my face, gesturing at an area above my head. "Over the numbers. I can see everyone's names and numbers!"

Now that he was invading my personal space (which chagrined me greatly, by the way), I could see that his hair was not black, but rather a rich brown. His skin was tannish -- compared to the average British person, at least. He looked perfectly ordinary, except... except that his eyes were an impossibly vibrant red. I peered into them for a moment -- those bright, happy eyes -- and I thought that he looked so innocent. Like someone who wouldn't know the difference between right and wrong.

Like someone who was insane.

Eventually, I realized that I had been staring for too long. To humor him, I said, " So, you can see... names and numbers?"

"That's right."

"Really..."

"Really."

"Then..." I moved to sit up, nudging him to back off. "What's my real name?"

He didn't miss a heartbeat. "Amaranthine de Lafayette Wammy." And he grinned. "Sounds awkward. Hey, are you related to that old guy?"

I breathed, incredulous, but made no other reaction. He was absolutely right; it was wild. How did he know? And I wondered if, maybe, he and I were somehow alike. If maybe... we knew things in a way that couldn't be explained. And I smiled. "That is my name, isn't it...? I..."

(de Lafayette)

Just those words, a distant echo in the back of my mind, and I was bombarded by memories of the insane asylum. I immediately lost my train of thought.

Fumbling, I stood up and said, briskly, "B, you shouldn't go around telling people that you can see their names. They will be upset. And please don't mention my name again, because like I said, real names aren't allowed." I started to ascend the stairs. My heart was beating quickly, and I tried to will it to stop, but that name... well, I just wanted to leave that behind.

"Hey, that's no fun!" B said, getting up with me. "Don't you want my name now, too?"

"...real names aren't allowed, B."

"Wanna know how I can see your name?"

"No, B. Don't mention it again."

"Weren't you just saying how much you don't like having them rename us?"

I sighed, exasperated, and turned around. "I don't like it, but it's not a matter of like or dislike. The moment we walked through that door, we became the property of L and this orphanage. We are obligated to succeed as L's heirs." I stopped myself there, realizing my own words. They were true, but... but I just wished they weren't. I shook my head and hurried up the steps.

"Ooh, wait! I'll come too!"


An Extraordinary Person

--x--

"Pleeeeaaasssee?"

"Go. Away."

"Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaasssssseee?"

"B, go away."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaa..."

I growled irritably and sank to the floor, leaning against the door. B was still sitting outside, appealing for entrance. I was annoyed, of course, and somehow fascinated. How could any normal person have so much lung capacity as to beg for two hours straight? I was tired, and I hadn't done anything for the last hour and fifty-five minutes.

--x--

I opened the door.

B was lying dramatically on the hallway carpet, limbs sprawled, looking for all the world like a man dying of oxygen deprivation.

"I hate you. I hope you know that," I stated crossly.

B's head lolled to the side and looked up at me, staring with those big, bright eyes. He gave me this sort of... pout-face.

"...But you can come in."

He sat up in an instant and crawled happily through the doorway. He didn't say a thing, aside from some delighted squeals, but I could see the words in his eyes.

("Oh-ho-ho. Victory is mine.")

"Only for a second," I snarled quickly. But my words went unheeded. He barreled into the room and immediately flopped down on the lower half of my bunk bed, which I did not use. Then, a moment later, he popped out of the bunk bed area and began dashing around the room, looking at, and touching, everything.

"Hey! Don't touch my stuf-- especially not the dreamcatcher!! B!"

I noticed, offhandedly, that the room felt just a little warmer.


From the Author: Allow me to explain. Since L is an awesome man of logic and BB has shinigami eyes, I needed to tweak A somehow to balance out the group. What could this mean, you ask? Well, at first I considered giving her some kind of quirk. But, personally, I felt that a quirk would intrude upon L's glory. (-cough- Near and Mello -cough-) So, instead, I thought to myself -- wouldn't it be fun if A had ESP??

Now they're all special. :D

(Or maybe I should give L an extra leg, too?! ...Don't hit me, please.)