((Author's Note)) I hate to admit it...but I'm slowly losing momentum in writing this. I hate it when I get a good Idea, then it slips away before I can write it down. Oh, well...I guess I will have to make due with what I can.

Edit: Major plot change and slight character change.

Chapter 10

I trudged down the street wearing my beanie to hide my ears, muttering up a storm. "Stupid L and his stupid sugar addiction."

I entered the bakery that was just down the street from the hotel we were currently staying at. Without wasting any time, I walked up to the counter.

"What can I get for ya hun?" the woman asked.

I thought for a second before answering, "Ten boxes of cupcakes, a few dozen of assorted doughnuts, and your best strawberry cheesecake... To go."

The woman gave me a quizzical look before writing down the order. "Anything else?"

I glanced at the overhead menu. "Maybe add a small box of Peanut Butter cookies to go along with that," I told her. She added it.

"It may take a while to get everything, so you can take a seat until your order is ready." I nod and made my way past woman behind me.

I couldn't really see her face from where I was standing, but she was slightly taller than me and wearing a dull colored dress with a cloak shadowing her eyes. I stared for a moment before looking away, sensing a form of familiarity.

I took a seat at a bench by the window, deciding to sit like Near with one knee close to my chest while the other was toutching the floor. I use to do this when I was younger, back when Near was showing me how to analyze things from a different perspective as well as my own. Sure I was older than him, but he was much more mature than I was.

"Mind if I sit with you?" I looked up to see the woman standing in front of me. I shrugged with indifference and she took a seat in the space next to me while keeping a respectable distance.

I rested my chin on my elevated knee as I watched people enter and exit the bakery. My mind started to wander until it was pulled back into reality when the woman asked, "Aren't you cold?"

I looked at her. before looking at my attire. I was only wearing a pair of denim shorts and a grey Tshirt that said Dog Tired with a cartoon depiction of a sleepy beagle.

"No."

"You're wearing shorts in December...how can you do that?" the woman asked.

I sighed. "It's complicated."

"I'm willing to listen," she insisted.

I kept quiet as the bakery filled up with more people. Something about the woman made me want to confide in her, but because of the circumstances, i couldn't.

"That's a strange hair color," she stated after a while. "Did you dye it or something?"

"It's natural," I muttered.

"Really?" The woman smiled. "I've never seen that color in hair for a long time, natural or not." I wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment, but I decided to humor her and talk to her a bit.

Something about her is strange, I thought, yet also familiar, I thought as our conversation continued.

"You know, you oddly remind me of my husband, before he disappeared," the woman commented.

"Oh?" my ears perked up in interest. "What happened?"

The woman sighed before pulling back her hood, revealing her dark brown hair and tired grey eyes. She looked at me and I then realized why she was so familiar.

She was the woman on the plane the night I came to Japan.

"That is what I'm here to find out," she said. "I want to find my husband, and maybe if I'm lucky, my daughter as well."

"You have a daughter?" I asked.

The counter bell rang. "Ten dozen cupcakes, three dozen doughnuts, cheesecake, and an order of cookies," the woman called out.

"That's my order," I sighed as I stood up, and cracked my back out of its bent position. I may have pretended to be L once, but I don't want to stand like him all the time.

As I went up and paid for the sweets, I noticed the woman look at me. "That's quite a lot of sweets, don't you think?"

I shrugged. "Well, when you're staying with an insomniac who eats nothing but sweets, you learn to live with it," I said, picking up the stacked boxes.

"Relative?"

"More like a mentor of sorts." With that, I turned to leave and exited the bakery into the cold, December air. I shivered slightly before walking down the street back to the hotel.

I scratched my ear through my beanie when I heard light footsteps running toward me. "Wait!" The woman called. I turned to look at her.

"That mentor of yours, does he go by L?"

I had to keep my cool as the woman stepped closer. "How should I know?" I asked. "i've never met the guy."

The woman stood closer and looked me in the eye, a smirk crossed her features...one that was greatly simmilar to my own. "You can't lie to me," she said. "Because I have met him. In fact, he's the reason I was able to come here to find my missing family."

I tilted my head slightly, she could be lying, I thought, In fact, she could be Kira. "How do I know You're not lying?" I asked.

The woman pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number into it before putting it by her ear. Using my hightened hearing ability, I was able to hear the ringing of the other end of the line.

"Yes?" The voice on the other end answered. It was unmistakably L's.

"Ryuzaki, this is Equal," The woman stated bluntly. "I believe I've met one of your successors as planned."

"I see," L said back. "I want the both of you to return to the hotel as soon as possible, my successor will show you where it is."

By now Equal and I had started walking again, and I had my eyes on the windows of the passing shops. My ears were flattened to my head and my face was red. Stupid L and his stupid tricks.

Something in one of the windows caught my eye and I stopped to get a better look at it.

It was a small rosary, just like Mello's before I accedentally broke it, except instead of red beads, they varied between black, grey, and white. It was smaller than Mello's too, more closer to a phone or gun accessory.

As I began getting an idea in mind, Equal had hung up on L and looked at me. "What day is it?" I asked her.

"December 10th, why?" I shoved the pastries into her arms.

"I need to do something really quick," I told her before running into the store, which happened to be a pawn shop.

With the leftover money I had, I purchased the rosary, along with a revolver with a blue wolf design on the handle. Since I wasn't an official Law Enforcement Officer, I had to bribe a bit extra to get it. And by a bit I mean the last of what I had...and L had left a lot of Yen for me to use.

Once back outside, I took the sweets back and started walking away again, Equal following closely.

I started humming a random tune when we made it to the hotel. I set the sweets on the coffee table and snatched the cookies. These are mine.

"Ryuzaki, I'm back," I announced as I started munching on one of the peanut butter delights. "Your goodies are on the table, waiting for you."

I then slipped into my temporary bedroom to carry out my small plan. I won't say much, but it involves the rosary I purchased, Mello's gun, and a wash cloth.

The revolver? You can go ahead and call it an early christmas gift from L; especially since I used his money to get it. I'm flat broke and he gave me the money.

Mello's gonna be so surprised when he checks the mail.

I listened as L and Equal spoke to each other. I couldn't understand what they were sayng, but at the moment, i didn't care.

It wasn't until I heard L's phone ring that I got curious. I set Mello's Gun and the wash cloth on the bed and stepped into the living room.

"Yes?" L said, answering his phone, holding it like he usually did. He glanced in my direction. "I see..." He then held out the phone to me. "It appears to be for you."

I walked over to L and took the phone. "Who is it?" I asked him quietly.

All he said was, "An old friend."

Confused, I put the black cellphone close to my ear, a slight distance away so to not give me an earache. "Hello?" I asked.

"It's been a while, hasn't it my little pet?" A tired, yet familiar voice asked. I gasped.

"B?" I whispered, shocked.

"The one and only," he replied. "I called that excuse of an orphanage, but the old man told me you were unavailable. Thinking he was trying to keep you from speaking with me again, I, albeit reluctantly, had to call the so-called 'world's greatest' detective."

"Still holding that grudge, I see," I said. Wait a minute... "You tried calling me before?"

"I've tried calling on countless occasions," BB nearly growled. "They continued to give me dumb-ass excuses like, 'she's busy', 'she's sleeping', and the constant, plain old, 'she's unavailable' along with others that, honestly, tore me apart."

"You poor thing," I said jokingly.

"Don't do that, it really did." BB was sounding like a kid. I could easily see him in an orange jumpsuit pouting next to the telephone that the prison had.

I chuckled, "Sure it did." Knowing Beyond Birthday, almost nothing hurt his feelings. What ever did, I still don't know.

The other end was silent for a moment. "I miss you, ya know," he said.

"Yeah," I said back, "I know."

"Do you miss me?"

"What do you think?" I asked.

BB sighed, but didn't answer my question. "A lot of inmates around here have been dropping dead," he told me instead.

"I know," I said getting serious. "It's been happening all over the world."

"I suppose L is attempting to stop the perpetrator?" BB asked, spitting out L's name.

"Of course," I replied. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Well..." BB sighed again. The hair on the back of my neck stiffened.

"No," I stated. "You're not saying..."

"I am," BB's voice was softer. "I could never see my own lifespan, you know that..."

"B, you're scaring me," I said, my voice wavering.

"But with what's been going on, I wouldn't be surprised if I was on Kira's checklist."

"Beyond, don't say that!" I exclaimed, but he seemed to ignore me.

"So, just in case this is the last time I'll talk to you," he said, "I just want you to know something."

"B..." I whispered.

"I love you."

"B, please," I begged frantically, " don't hang up!" But it was too late. The dial tone reached my ears before I finished my sentence.

I barely noticed the phone slip from my hand onto the soft carpet as my ears drooped from sudden fatigue. I passed L, who was watching me the entire time.

"I'm going to bed," I said softly. "Good night, Ryuzaki." I turned to Equal. "Welcome to the team."

"Good night, Yugi," L said back as I closed the door.

I ignored the forgotten pistol that had fallen to the floor as I climbed into the large bed. Lying down, I closed my eyes. BB's words rang through my mind as a small tear made its way to the pillow it would share with my head.

I love you.

((Author's Note)) Well, things just got a little darker. I understand if you are confused, but don't worry. Ideas for this story may be starting to become dull, but BB plays a big role in Yugi's past (to which I'm sure at least one of you might have caught onto). I plan to cover that for those who don't yet understand, but not yet.

Thank you for reading and please review. I greatly treasure your opinions, good or bad, complimenting, or insulting.

Until next time,

-Garden