Aiyana Miyuki- XD Trouble finds B!

Imaginefun- Yes, Queenie is dead. And yes, your first question is a yes.

Sorry this is short, I was having a hard time thinking of how to break it up, but I am satisfied with it. I promise the next chapter will be longer!

I do not own Death Note!


He yawns boredly as passes through the gate to Wammy's House. He and Ambrose, or rather Alternative, had moved through the entrance exam easily, both getting perfect scores. Beyond (oops, he means "Backup") convinced Wammy Alternative was his brother, so they were not separated. Counterfeit smiles happily as she shows them around.

"The first floor serves as classrooms. The dining hall is also found down here. The second floor hold the boys' rooms and the third floor is the girls'." She informs him, grasping his hand in hers.

He chose to ignore her rambling (he could care less about the layout of this place, he would figure it out on his own) to focus on her lifespan. It is jumping around, the numbers increasing, then decreasing just as fast. He's never seen anything like it before. He suddenly feels aware of her sticky fingers clasping his hand. He scowls, hating the feeling. He hates being in contact with other people. It made him feel disgusting afterward. He would have to clean himself after. He starts to think of ways to get her to release his hand. One way involves breaking her fingers, the other meant sinking his teeth into her hand, still stubby and plump with baby fat. As he thinks of ways, her lifespan seems to settle on its numbers.

"Six." She turns to look at him in confusion.

"Six what?" She asks.

Beyond grins. "Six more years. That is how long you have to live."

C blinks and laughs, if not a little nervously. "That's not very funny, B. You shouldn't joke about things like that."

How could he have ever liked her when he was younger? His grin falls and he narrows his eyes at her.

"I'm not joking, Clarice Hackerman."

Her sallow face pales more so and she releases his hand. There's one way, he thinks, amused by her expression. She looks startled, angry, and perhaps fearful.

"How do you-That isn't fair! You can't blurt my name out; it's my name! You looked at my files, didn't you?" She points an accusatory finger at him.

"No. I just know it. It's a shame you don't have the same gift as me." He walks past her. "Thank you for the tour; it was wonderfully boring."

Beyond returns to his room with Alternative. Alternative goes to his bed and pulls a book out from under his mattress. Before he could tuck into it, Beyond plucks it from his hands and reads the title, ignoring the boy's feeble protests.

"'The Murders in the Rue Morgue?' Aren't you a bit young to be reading such a morbid story?" He tosses the book back to Alternative, who misses. The book falls to the floor.

Flustered, Alternative hugs the book to his chest after he bent down to pick it up. "I-I like Edgar Allan Poe."

Beyond grins sadistically. "My favorite of his is 'The Pit and the Pendulum.' I've re-enacted it once with a cat. I went satisfyingly well, if I do say so myself, only the cat did not have the aid of rats. Would you like to help me re-enact it?"

With a whimper, Alternative shakes his head. "I-I don't like that story..."

Beyond pouts. "A shame. I don't particularly like 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' so I don't want to re-enact that. I guess I'll have to find someone else to play with me."

He leaves the room and wanders through the orphanage. He scopes out for potential "playmates." He scowls when he doesn't see any, so he goes outside. He sits on a stone bench underneath a large tree. He watches the children play. The weather outside is pleasantly warm with occasional cool breezes. The sun was too bright and Beyond squints his eyes. He's afraid he'll go blind if he stays out any longer and retreats back into the orphanage. There was no one interesting outside anyway.

At dinner, he studies the stew in front of him with disdain. Alternative eats eagerly, having missed lunch and Beyond had taken his breakfast, not sparing him a glance. Beyond spoons in some stew into his mouth. It was tangy from the mixed flavors of beef and carrots. He forces himself to swallow and grimaces as the hot brew slides down his throat. It leaves him with an unpleasant aftertaste and pushes the bowl away from himself.

"Aren't you hungry?" Alternative asks timidly.

"How can you eat that disgusting stuff? It's so bitter. I hate bitter things." He grouses, standing up.

Alternative shrugs nervously and Beyond goes back to the buffet line. There's a slice of apple pie. He isn't fond of apple pie, but he needed something sweet to take place the bitter aftertaste, so he shovels it into his mouth without really tasting it. It did the trick and he found himself in a better mood. He goes to his room and flops down on his bed. The mattress isn't particularly soft, but it is more comfortable than his old bed back home. He is half asleep when Alternative returns.

He watches the younger boy through half lidded eyes. He is getting ready for bed, going into the bathroom, presumably to brush his teeth. He considers playing with Alternative before bed, but decides against it. He's too tired to play.


"L has decided Alternative, Backup, and Counterfeit will be his top successors." Roger announces to the three children standing before him.

Beyond and Alternative have been there for a little more than a year. Beyond winces when he hears his alias. Backup. Backup what? When it came down to things, Beyond would not be L's backup. No, he would rather run and not look back.

"Alternative, with you being number one in the orphanage, L expects greater things from you. Your classes will be more advanced and more centered around becoming L."

Alternative's ashy face paled, but he nodded. Beyond could tell he wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility; the boy was only twelve! All he could do was sit back and watch Alternative work his body into the ground as he tried to keep up with the overload of homework. Beyond went to bed and Alternative would still be awake and working when he'd wake up.

Beyond's work is difficult as well, but he is older, more experienced in dealing with stress. He watches Alternative's fragile mind fracture and wonders when it will shatter. He isn't sure if he wants to see it happen. He religiously watches Alternative's lifespan, watching it decrease dramatically to a hair breadth's away from 0, only to soar up to another decade. He came to a conclusion.

Alternative is thinking of ways to kill himself, then talks himself out of it again. Beyond grins at the thought. Perhaps, when the time comes and the lifespan remains dangerously low, Beyond will offer his services. He's always wanted to take a life nearing its end. It would make him feel like God.