Author's Note: Hi, I'm back again with the new Chapter! I think that the plot has thickened somewhat. Or is it going too slowly? If you want change, then it's fairly easy to do. Just click the blue button and tell me your opinions. Trust me, I want to know!

Shameless, rambling pleas for reviews aside (thank-you so much to those people who have done so already :D), let's remember what happened last time. So, let us rejoice, for S's beloved Nii-chan has returned (that was a weird sentence O-0)! And that's right - it's L! And yes, I know, this storyline's probably been done before. I wanted to approach a slightly different angle upon contemplating ideas for this story, but the idea refused to get out of my head and so I decided to just take a risk and go for it. I can't exactly abandon it now. And there are of course other factors in the equation! Let us journey onwards, dear readers (and there's another weird one! Has somebody tampered with my chocolate today?), and uncover more secrets and unanswered questions... and just where does Beyond Birthday reoccur...?

Hope you enjoy it! :D

Oh, and I don't own Death Note (if I did, a very-much-alive BB would be constantly walking around in jam/blood-stained attire and no-one would raise an eyebrow, L and Light would be very much an item, and a mysterious incident would occur, causing Misa to mysteriously dissapear forever... sorry, Misa Misa fans) :/

CHAPTER TWELVE; WHISPERING RAINDROPS

MELLO'S POV

Just what was up with Matt today?

Mello couldn't help but ask himself this question as he lounged listlessly on his bunk-bed, trying to calm himself down - he was so nervous and excited, he felt like he would explode. Maybe a visit from L would put S back in her place! He fidgeted, struggling to get comfortable, trying to distract himself from L's sudden appearance by thinking of his best friend. What had Matt meant when he had speculated about L and S's connection? Mello closed his eyes, reaching instinctively for another chocolate bar. He planned to kick his capable mind into action.

L and S... L and S... both letters, both seemingly anonymous to the outside world. Both concealed themselves, and concealed themselves well... but - that was it! It wasn't just a link, it was two! the only way S could have hidden herself, and hidden herself so extraordinarily well (what better place than Wammy's House?) was to seek the guidance of L. He probably convinced or influenced her to rechristen herself as a single letter. She had possibly studied under L as his student, as much as Mello loathed to admit it. How else could she have got such a high score on the Intelligence Test? Even Near had never achieved top marks...

L and S, L and S, L and S - the letters buzzed around his head until he felt dizzied by the possibilities. What had S done that all other Wammy's students hadn't? What intellectual privelleges had she recieved? What different places had she seen? And Mello didn't just mean that in geographical terms - many Wammy's students embarked on the trips set up by the extra-curricular gatherings because they would be going to places where they could test out their aliases.

But S... she may have gone right into the very core of secret organizations, been allowed access to classified information that even Matt couldn't hack into (well, not yet. Maybe he'd get back to it once he'd stopped watching that goddamn anime Kuro, or whatever the hell S had called it). But... but what hurt the most was that L had practically betrayed the entire Wammy's House without any of the residents batting so much as an eyelid.

I honestly don't care if I'm just being used, L, Mello told his mentor in his head, because you treat us mostly the same, except for the rankings. We grow up at Wammy's, our abilities are regularly tested and applied, we all fight for status and grow strong... He shook his hair frustratedly, making the shining strands of blonde fall in-front of his eyes. I don't care if I'm being used because at least you're giving me a chance to prove myself, he continued. They picked me for Wammy's! They obviously still consider me a candidate for L's succession! But now there's -

-S. S had been given special treatment for no particular reason? How was that a fair competition?

A stab of anger pierced through Mello and soured his attractive features. No. This wasn't fair. S took everything from everybody and never gave anything in return. And she didn't even tell anyone about it! His hands gripped onto his bedsheets, compressing the fabric into a tight ball. He would confront S... or try to gather information from a tight-lipped L - no! He wouldn't pull an S and be sly or backhanded about it. He would ask his mentor outright!

He clambered down the ladder of the bunk-bed and hurtled out of the room in a frenzy of righteousness - instinctively flicking his hair as he ran through the open doorway and turned a corner..

NEAR'S POV

Near sped back from the lake, not used to so much excercise. By the time he had reached the old picnic bench, he was coughing and spluttering rather alarmingly. He bent double, breathing heavily. When he had somewhat recovered, he drew up to his full height once more - noticing someone out of the corner of his eye in the process.

It was S, lazily sprawled out on the long grass in need of cutting, her blonde hair spread around her face in a shaggy, straw-like imitation of a halo. Her eyes were half-closed - she was clearly enjoying the brief spell of sunshine.

On sheer impulse, Near ignored his innate thoughts of pretending he hadn't noticed her, deciding to walk over to instead. As he moved closer, S's eyes snapped open, their pupils darting from side to side.

She let out a gasp, which she quickly stifled. "Oh, it's just you, Near," she drawled, one eyebrow quirking upwards - she was obviously trying to cover up her earlier moment of paranoia. "Been down to the lake, then?" she enquired, eyeing his feet - he looked down to follow her gaze, and realised just how much dirt now clung between his toes. No wonder L doesn't go outside much, he thought.

Near knew that S had replaced him as Number One. He knew that she had taken everything from him, and hadn't even apologised yet... but... he just couldn't bring himself to despise needed help, and she was L's biological sister - she couldn't help having a little leg-up from her brother to kick-start her journey through the world of Wammy's House.

And now Near was close up...

...he could see it. That little twitch in her fingers every now and again - like something had triggered a nervous reaction. She looked relaxed, lying there on the daisy-strewn grass - but inside she was a wreck.

He awkwardly crouched down next to her, setting aside his messenger-bag as her capable fingers deftly made daisy chains. They sat there in a relatively comfortable silence, until S finally sat up from her place on the grassy floor, her hypnotic eyes flickering in the sunlight. "Near," she began. "I - I..." she broke off, looking away.

Near was reluctant to press the subject, but understood that S wanted to say something that would only be said if he made it clear that he was ready and listening. He nodded expectantly, and S cleared her throat roughly before continuing. "I... I guess I just wanted to apologise," she mumbled. "I know you were at the top spot for a very long time. My Intelligence Test results were probably an elaborate fluke, anyway..." She sighed, hanging her head, milk-white cheeks heating up.

Near tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He didn't want pity. All he wanted was to earn and reclaim his rightful place as Number One successor of L once more. But... She was being so nice. No-one, not even L, had ever made him feel so normal, so human. It was like... having a schoolfriend. Someone so utterly ordinary that he could pretend he didn't live in Wammy's House, that he wasn't damaged, that he was a social creature. But of course, none of that was true. S was one of the strangest people he had ever met. They were both hopeless cases, and there was no going back from the lives they had now. They could only ever move forward, hoping and praying for the best (not that Near would ever pray - he was self-reliant, only ever needing belief in himself to get by in life; when that was gone, all hope was lost).

S was now looking up at him from behind her lashes, obviously assessing his reaction.

Near sighed, and attempted the impossible. "It's... it's okay, S," he murmured, his voice barely above the volume of a whisper. "There's no point trying to hide who you are - i-intelligence-wise, I mean. You're extremely capable. Someone would've found out at some point." He focused on her facial features, trying to determine her true expression.

She was obviously trying to keep her demeanour neutral - but there was the hint of a tentative smile on her lips. She reached into the depths of the un-cut grass until she'd found what she was looking for. It was a daisy chain she had made earlier on. She held it up, her smile growing more pronounced - but her eyes were glittering mishieviously.

Her hands shot out in a sudden blur of movement, and she placed the daisy chain on Near's head. His eyes grew wide in surprise. "What the-" he managed to choke out.

"Let's be friends, okay, Near?" she laughed wickedly. She lightly punched his arm and sprinted away, into the small forest that was close to the East wing of Wammy's.

Near simply watched her go, his eyes still resembling grey marbles. He touched a small, pale hand to his snow-white hair, and it was true; S had actually reached out and put a daisy chain on his head.

There was no denying it. Nate River had been florally assaulted.

And the most earth-shattering fact was... he'd just let it happen!

MELLO'S POV

Mello's heart leapt in instinctive delight as L shuffled through the half-open door of the empty corridor.

"Hey, L!" Mello greeted eagerly, knowing that he was going too far but unable to stop himself from doing so, "can we hang out for a bit?"

"...I guess I have some free time to spare," L conceeded. "I have just finished speaking with Roger, and Wammy is currently busy discussing gaming tactics with Matt." Mello resisted the urge to roll his eyes with some difficulty. He hadn't believed it when Matt had come running into their shared dorm, spouting some garbled gibberish about Quillish Wammy being interested in gaming. Now, the fact was as commonplace as L liking sweet things.

"So... how are your grades faring, Mello?" L asked. L always jumped straight to the grades - but if you were patient with him, he would occasionally talk about other things. Mello really wanted to press onto the fact of S being Number One - but maybe L was just avoiding the subject so Mello wouldn't feel bad? Mello almost snorted. He'd never done that before - so why what reason could he possibly have for starting now?

"Oh, my grades are going great, L!" Mello exclaimed nevertheless. "Miss Dean says that my computing skills have increased by twenty percent! But... well, you know. I'm Third now," he continued, as much as it hurt to say those words. "S has joined the elite rankings - in fact, she's surpassed them..."

L put a thumb to his lips, his expression as serious as ever. "Yes, she has, hasn't she," he murmured thoughtfully. "She is most interesting. I'd like to see how she'd do if she attended the Thursday night Self-Defense classes -"

"-Actually, they've moved them to Monday now, to make room for the Arts session," Mello explained earnestly, eager to show how much he knew about the inner-workings of the school. Because street - or rather, Wammy's - smarts counted, and Near had absolutely none, a fact that Mello often shoved in the younger boy's face.

"I see," L replied, taking the information without any other comment about it. "Tell me, are you comfortable in S's prescence, Mello?" he asked.

Mello was taken slightly aback by the question, but replied as best he could. "Y-Yeah, I suppose. She's just another Wammy's kid. Like all of us."

"That's good to know," L told him, not smiling but his features subtly lighting up. "She is exceedingly intelligent and fairly knowledgable in the ways of the world - but after all, she's just another resident of Wammy's House. I wanted to know if she was being treated the same by everyone here. She needs some stability or-" L stopped mid-flow. Mello was instantly puzzled by L's behaviour. Since when did L become lost for words or break off his sentences?

L cleared his throat, snapping Mello out of his thoughts. "I apologise, Mello. I must attend to something. I've been putting it off for far too long." Mello's confusion increased. What in the world did L mean?

Without another word, L turned and left the corridor, uncharacteristically stepping outside of the orphanage and into the sunlight.

Mello did not follow. Even he knew that you had to keep your distance from the brilliant detective. L liked to be alone, that much was obvious.

L'S POV

L hated acting so objectively about his own sister. His own cold, apathetic words - words delivered in such a tepid, bored tone - were running through his mind over and over again.

But... how else could he have acted? Mello obviously hadn't painstakingly pieced together that S and himself were related. That they had shared a childhood, a history, a world of secrets...

Well, at least not yet. And that "not yet" unsettled L far more than he liked to admit.

He knew where she'd be - outside the orphanage, away from the other students, relishing in the quiet solitude. But he needed to disrupt her time of reflection. They had to discuss what would happen next. He didn't want to think about it, but there was noother way. And S decided a say in it, too.

He let out a humourless laugh. Even now, he was repressing thoughts of his sister's true name. He'd stopped himself from saying it out loud for years, now - it seemed that his mind had followed suit. He couldn't help speculating about whether S had done the same. He winced as a brief stab of sadness pierced him - the poor girl couldn't even say her own name without the fear of... of... he shook his head. He was a detective who regularly solved horrific crimes, and he was fully aware of the terrible things that occured every single day. It still didn't mean that he wanted to associate them with his own sister.

And there she was - a blonde adolescent, wandering around in a small patch of wildflowers, occasionally picking some, occasionally trampling on others. Her boots had been discarded, and now rested near a gnarled and twisted tree. Her eyes shone with delight whenever the sun enveloped the little clearing.

After quietly observing his beloved younger sibling for a short while, L padded over, still resolutely barefoot despite the change in environment. S turned to look up at him, an amused smirk on her face, her beautiful green eyes glittering.

They stood there in silence, drinking in the sight of each other, wanting to approach each other further but not wanting to break the fragile spell, the thinly-spun enchantment.

There was a deep rumble of thunder as the air rapidly grew extremely hot and humid. Spots of water appeared on their faces, until little by little, it became a downpour. the sounds of nature grew into the rawest, most sublime symphony.

"Nii-chan," she breathed, breaking the spell of silence. The sudden rain had plastered her blonde hair to the sides of her face, and her clothing was soaked through. She looked innocent; fresh-faced; young.

"Swamp Eyes," L whispered back. It wasn't particularly in acknowledgement of her. It was just that he couldn't say anything else. His whole world was being engulfed, dominated by those shining orbs of emerald. S laughed shakily before sprinting over to him, her bare feet making splashing noises as they made imprints in the muddy, watery ground.

L laughed, finally a carefree sound, cherishing the sight of her happy expression. She threw her arms around him, holding on tightly as if she never wanted to let go. L reciprocated her actions, never wanting to be parted from his little sister ever again. He was so happy... he could stay for ever in the same pose, never letting go of the remarkable teen in his arms...

...but sadness still managed to eclipse his heart.

It was just like their frantic embrace all those years ago.

When he said he'd be leaving.

When he'd promised he'd come back.

MATT'S POV

Matt didn't do homework when he could easily avoid it.

That was the sacred Mail Jeevas rule.

But honestly... he was really curious about L and S's connection. This was something that he really didn't mind doing. But first, he needed to think. He hadn't been able to find Mello in their room, so decided to claim some time for himself.

Wandering in the woods was one of his favourite pastimes when he was younger. When he was really young, it felt like it could go on forever and ever. He'd always wanted to be an explorer and discover far-off lands. The dream died when he watched the countless horror movies Mello owned about people getting lost in the woods and... well, let's just say some pretty crazy shit happened in the woods, movie-wise.

He now found comfort in data and video games. You could do whatever the hell you wanted. If you died, you'd respawn or you could easily reset the program. You could bring the dead back to life...

...No, Matt, this isn't what you're supposed to be thinking about, he told himself as he lifted up his goggles to scrub furiously at his eyes. Mom and Dad are gone and they're not coming back. Not ever. So start thinking about something else before you get in a state...

A sudden drop of water landed on his now-repositioned goggles. Matt smiled. He liked the rain. Sure, when it got on his goggles it was annoying, but it sometimes felt like the world was being washed clean and renewing itself once more. He had heard the thunder, and knew there wasa lot of rain coming his wa,y but didn't really feel like turning back. It was still warm and pleasant.

He was getting close to a clearing he enjoyed sitting in. It was a place where he could hide and avoid doing homework on a warm afternoon. Sometimes Mello would tag along, and they would talk about crap that didn't even matter - and Mello would let go and stop being so serious. Those times were the absolute best.

He was about to enter the clearing, when he noticed the two people there.

It was raining rather steadily now, and L's hair was dissolving into a black, shaggy mane instead of a mass of soft spikes. S's hair was plastered to the sides of her face. Her expression was one of joy and understanding.

Matt could only just make out what she said. "Nii-chan."

Nii-chan.

Nii-chan.

Big Brother.

So they were related, after all. Even though Matt had had an inkling about this, he still found it shocking to have his suspicions confirmed so suddenly. And why had she uttered it in Japanese?

L whispered: "Swamp Eyes."

Matt was puzzled. Swamp Eyes? Like a nickname for her or something?

Swamp Eyes.

Swamp Eyes...

...SWAMP EYES.

S. Was that what it stood for? Swamp Eyes? Had Matt just accidentally stumbled upon S's true name?

S ran over to L - and threw her arms around him. Matt stifled a gasp. He'd never seen anything so spontaneous, yet so natural-looking. And... woah, wait a minute. This was... weird. L was actually holding her tighter to himself... Matt had never seen L be so openly and nakedly emotional.

Matt knew L had emotions, but... he looked so - well, normal. And human - like his stone heart was melting. Heavy rain was streaming down L's face like tears. Or... could those tears possibly be real?

Matt realised instantly that he has stumbled upon something private; something he should never have seen, heard, or even known about. Hands shaking, Matt scuttled away into the depths of the small forest as quietly as he possibly could, replaying the events over and over again in his mind.

L was... human.

L was real...

...And from the look on his face as he'd held S close, he was filled with a bittersweet happiness that Matt could barely comprehend.

Author's Note: I think I'm going to leave it there for this Chapter! My apologies if L seemed OOC. So, we had more insight into what made the Wammy's boys (including L) tick. And aw, poor Near - he was florally assualted! I don't like Near in the Death Note series, but since writing this Chapter, I'm starting to warm to him. No Beyond this Chapter, I promise they'll be some of him in the Chapters to come, he's about to become quite a prominent character :) As I've said before - love ya, B! Please review, I need some guidance. Am I going off-track? Have I been writing the characters too OOC? Are my descriptions a little weak? I kind of need to know :/

As always, thank-you so much for reading, and I'll see you next Chapter! :D