Disclaimer: Death Note belongs to Tsugami Ohba and Takeshi Obata, and Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Casesbelongs to Nisio Isin.
Warnings: Swearing.
Note: This chapter begins a short while before the end of the last chapter.
/ AN: I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful feedback which I received last chapter. It's funny how things turn out, originally I only intended to include Aiber as a small character...To be honest I didn't know what I was doing with this chapter. I changed it so many times... Sorry for the wait! /
Beyond's heart pounded vigorously against his ribs as he disappeared hastily up the long flight of endless stairs, his lungs beginning to ache with each shallow breath that he took.
As he gazed ahead with a pair of dark hazel eyes it almost seemed as if he were trapped in a repetitive cycle. Each desperate step that he took appeared futile. It was as if he weren't moving forward at all, but taking several steps back.
It should have been relatively easy to nail a few flights of stairs at his age; it should have been a walk in the park.
Whatever happened to the spring in his step and those strong muscles in his calves?
He missed them.
Of course being in prison had deprived him greatly of a lot of exercise, it was no wonder that his body had become so weak. Beyond was hardly surprised, and it was definitely inconvenient now of all times. Not that he ever used to be too strong in the first place...
When the raven reached the top of the stairs he proceeded to barge his way through a set of large double doors that hit the wall with a loud thud behind him, swinging back and forth repeatedly.
Each step that he took echoed down the large corridor, accompanied by the ragged breaths that followed.
He didn't know how much time he had, nor did he know if any of his antics were going to work at all. It was dangerous, he knew that for certain. But did he care that he might fail again? No, but he would certainly try his best to succeed.
If they caught him, it didn't matter. He was already sentenced to a lifetime behind bars; surely a little more deviance wouldn't make any difference. It couldn't get any worse... could it?
'Don't think about it,' he thought adamantly to himself as he began to slow his pace, 'think... positively.'
Beyond sighed in relief when he finally spotted a familiar door which appeared to be ajar; the lights were off and the room appeared to be dark, the faint glow of the bright city lights seeping through the dark blinds.
As he swung the door open hurriedly, a confused gaze fell upon his features. The familiar room didn't look quite the same as he remembered...
The laminate flooring had been replaced with a cream carpet, and the walls were a dull white wash.
His lungs aching, Beyond recoiled in horror as he observed the number on the front of the door, the brass digits nailed to the wood just like all of the other rooms.
He couldn't believe it; he was on the wrong floor.
He was on the wrong fucking floor.
Slumped roughly against the wall, Birthday proceeded to run a hand through his tousled hair in disbelief.
He felt stupid.
He was stupid.
It should have been easy, but of course like many other things in his insanely complex life, it wasn't. Now he had to make the big decision; whether to surrender to his aching legs or fight this battle to the end for all it was worth.
After all there was still a slim chance that he could walk away from this, not innocent, but at least with a clear conscience.
"To hell with it," he muttered tiredly, and made a slow jog back through the corridor, his legs beginning to buckle as he battered his way back through the double doors and making his way up the long flight of stairs, in the correct direction.
Something began to grow in the pit of his stomach, something that could have easily been mistaken for nerves, but Beyond recognised this sensation.
It was excitement.
The man didn't have much of a plan, not really. He was simply going to find Aiber, burst into his room, deal with his business and follow his instincts.
Anything could happen.
Beyond wondered curiously if he had enough time; deep down he wanted to pay one last brief visit to his room and check that he hadn't missed anything, anything that could be remotely useful.
Of course he didn't own any belongings, not even the clothes on his back or the watch on his slender wrist, which had been pinched from the office just a few nights ago. He had a funny feeling that it belonged to Matsuda, but it didn't really matter anymore.
There were so many questions that Birthday could ask himself at that moment.
What was he going to do if he actually made it out?
Where would he go?
How would he get money?
He didn't know. He didn't have anything, and he also highly doubted that L would just leave cash lying around the humongous building, not when he knew that there were criminals lurking. Lawliet wasn't that stupid, was he?
'Don't even think about it,' he scolded himself sternly.
There was no time for scavenging, although B almost wished that he'd been a little more organised...
He approached the doors cautiously this time, clamping a hand over his mouth to stifle his ragged breaths, shoes scuffing the floor sluggishly as he headed for his room.
There was a good chance that Thierry Morello was still in his room, and an even bigger chance that L was already searching for him.
There were no taking chances, not this time.
He had to do this right; he didn't have time for mistakes, did he?
The ringing of a mobile phone pierced the daunting silence, the shrilling ringing almost made the raven jump out of his skin. He could feel his heart recoil in horror, pounding against his ribs vigorously in protest.
The sound emerged through the open door of Aiber's room.
Aiber began to mutter a string of curses as the phone continued to ring, stumbling through the dark room as he searched for the irritating device.
RING RING.
"I'm coming already," he growled in annoyance, holding the mobile to his ear, "Hello?"
"Aiber," a familiar voice replied with a sigh of relief, "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine. Why do you-"
"Listen carefully, I- Raito-kun! I order you to let go of me this-"
"Hello?"
Beyond froze in panic, a hand still held tightly over his mouth to conceal his nervous and laboured breathing. His heart hammered against his ribs as the adrenaline began to surge through his system, the familiar sensation that began to pump through his veins, making his body tingle from head to toe.
He remembered feeling like this before, with blood smeared across his pale hands and the crimson splatters staining his clean shirt.
When he closed his eyes he could still feel the warm liquid clinging to his sensitive skin, could still hear the screams of terror ringing in his ears-
"Hello?"
Clenching his palm into a tight fist, he took a deep breath, his eyes fixed entirely on the ajar door beside him.
"Excuse me?"
He bit his lip in anticipation, clinging to the door frame with a single hand-
"Are you insane? I'm not-Rue?"
Beyond smiled eerily as he walked casually through the doorway, eyeing an empty wine bottle on the table closely before taking it calmly in his hand, the cold sensation singing against his skin.
"Hello?"
The blond stared at the familiar intruder, confused and somewhat curious. He watched as the raven approached steadily, the bottle grasped tightly in his pale hand, shaking slightly in anticipation.
"What the fuck are you-"
SMASH.
The broken shards of glass lay scattered on the cream carpet at Morello's feet.
The blond was speechless.
He'd honestly thought that the raven was going to hit him just by looking at the wide pupils in his eyes. There was something different about him, the way that his eyes darted back and forth, the way that his chest heaved with each breath. He almost looked... weirdly excited.
Beyond raised a single finger and pressed it to his lips.
"Shhh."
Aiber didn't protest when a hand reached for the device held limply to his ear, he merely stared in bewilderment. He thought to himself idly, 'This is either a bad dream or a really bad joke.'
"Aiber?"
"I'm sorry; Aiber's a little busy right now."
"Stop, let's talk about this, I'm sure we could come to an understanding of some sort."
"Talk? Don't make me laugh! You know what they say. Actions speak louder than words."
Aiber flinched as Beyond stepped forward, the green glass crunching beneath his feet, the smile of a maniac tattooed to his lips. The neck of the bottle was still grasped in his hand tightly, the mobile phone pressed inquisitively to his ear using the other.
The American eyed the mobile curiously, averting his gaze back and forth between the device and the glass in Birthdays hand.
"Listen to me."
"I'm done with listening. Goodbye L, it was nice to meet you at last. I apologise in advance for the mess I'm about to-"
Lunging in desperation, Aiber attempted to make a grab for the device, only managing to succeed in knocking it from Beyond's grasp.
"L," he called, "I-"
His fingertips were merely inches from reaching it, but something was stopping him from getting any closer, the sensation of cold glass being pressed to the column of his throat.
"Aiber?"
The American froze when a voice sounded in his ear, a long slender arm coiling around his neck.
"If you even think about moving a muscle, I'll be redecorating this room with your blood, understand?"
The blond didn't move, standing frozen to the spot, not a word emerging from his parted lips.
Beyond smiled.
"That's the spirit."
He held the phone in his grasp and proceeded to hang up, tossing the device over his shoulder carelessly, sighing in relief. He took several steps back, releasing the traumatising blond held in his arm.
Morello watched nervously as Beyond watched him with a small smile.
"That went rather well..."
...
"What?"
"Honestly, I thought that I'd never get rid of him! Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat but I'm a little short for time so I'll get straight to the point-"
"ARE YOU INSANE?"
"Probably."
"You fucking lunatic! What the hell are you-"
"Lunatic hmm?" Birthday asked, holding the broken glass to Morello's neck, "If you don't shut up and listen pal, I'll show you just how loony I can be."
The blond didn't doubt for a second that it wasn't true, and he had absolutely no idea what the man would want from him of all people.
"What's this all about Rue? Money?" he asked nervously, "You wouldn't hurt me!"
"How can you be so sure?"
"I know you, we-"
"You don't know me, not anymore! Let me tell you friend, there are things that you don't know about me, things that you don't understand about any of this-"
"What do you want from me?"
"This isn't about you!" Beyond hissed, "I don't have much time to explain, they'll come looking for me soon." He craned his neck towards the window and seized Aiber's chin with his fingers, tilting his head roughly to make sure that the man was looking him in the eyes.
He could see the mild terror in the blond's eyes; he could feel the smile gracing his lips.
The way Thierry was being held in his grasp, it was just like old times, except now it wasn't Quarter Queen, Believe Bridesmaid or Backyard Bottomslash this time.
"Listen carefully, I'm only going to say this once. I want you to-"
"For goodness sake Ryuzaki, just un-cuff me already! I swear to god that I'm going to strangle you with this thing!"
Beyond froze visibly on the spot, holding his breath nervously in anticipation. He recognised that voice.
It sounded close, almost as if it were coming from the stairway...
Light Yagami glared furiously at the detective, rubbing his hip in pain.
He began to peel himself off of the hard floor muttering a string of curses, watching L rise to his feet quickly. The raven was avoiding eye contact, which angered the teen further (if that was even possible).
Moments ago the pair had been climbing the stair case, the long chain rattling against the steps. Unfortunately for Lawliet he had made the same mistake as Beyond, running hurriedly in the direction of the large double doors which happened to be situated on the wrong floor.
The two had continued to bolt in opposite directions and eventually the chain startled them both with a rough jerk, causing them both to lose their footing gracefully and land hard on the cold floor.
While Light had landed hard on his hip, L managed to succeed in tripping over his own two feet, knocking his head on the stair rail with an undignified thud.
The raven headed detective was struck by a sudden feeling of despair that washed over him, a shiver trailing down his spine as the teenagers dark eyes watched him angrily. He tried desperately to ignore the brunette, the back of his head beginning to ache with a dull throb.
There was one thought in particular that lingered in Ryuzaki's mind at that moment as they both clambered to their feet.
'I have an awfully bad feeling that this is going to hurt in the morning,' he thought dismally.
He squeezed the glass in his hand tightly, a confident smile tugged at his thin lips. He looked up at Morello through a mop of tousled black hair, the city lights glowing on his pallid white skin.
The neck of the bottle hit the soft carpet with a muffled thud, tumbling across the floor at his feet.
"I'm sorry," Beyond said sincerely, his gaze lowering to the floor in what only appeared to be shame, "This is going to sting a bit..."
As Beyond Birthday disappeared down the dark winding corridor, he struggled to contain his amusement, barley restraining the maniacal laughter that threatened to spill from his lips, a satisfied grin tattooed to his features.
He no longer felt the crippling effect of tedious boredom or the mild depression which often tended to linger over him like a dark storm cloud.
His life had once consisted of immense tediousness and dull confinement. Now, he was beginning to feel the enthusiasm return to his system, the electrifying warmth flooding through his veins that had once become a distant memory to him.
If Beyond hadn't been in such a hurry to leave he could have perhaps savoured the moment, there may have even been a slight spring in his step. Even the throbbing of his sore knuckles couldn't damage the wonderful mood that he was in, even if it was starting to ache slightly...
It was unfortunate for the raven that his skinny frame was so prone to bruising as easily as a satsuma; it made him feel like such a wimp at times. Despite this, Birthday was pleased with himself. He carried his wounds with pride, like battle scars.
Still, Beyond had much more important matters to attend to. He needed to find somewhere to stay the night, preferably a warm, cosy and luxurious hotel room complete with a large double bed, silk sheets and a spacious on suite bathroom.
It probably wouldn't turn out like that, it never did.
He could already imagine it now, what the future had to offer him. Sleeping rough out on the streets in all weathers, trying to avoid L and the police like an escaped convict...
He was not desperate, he had some dignity.
It was eerily dark outside at least, something which Beyond was extremely thankful for.
Sliding down the banister, his satisfied expression soon fell to a troubled frown. Before he did anything, he was going to need to find the exit first...
The next morning;
The office remained silent.
Ryuzaki had summoned the entire task force for an emergency meeting, and it had quickly become apparent to him that perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea after all.
The air was so thick that he'd almost considered opening a window.
Whilst his colleagues began to stare disapprovingly in his direction, the detective gazed hopelessly at the bowl of sugar cubes sitting in his lap and began to contemplate the possibility of a sugar overdose. Anything had to be much more pleasant than this.
While Lawliet stared lifelessly into the bowl in his lap, Light Yagami continued to pace back and forth in irritation, the chain hanging limply from his wrist, rattling with each movement.
Despite the brunettes urge and threat to strangle the pale detective, L had managed to survive the night without sustaining any further injuries; however he wasn't so sure that this was something to be remotely pleased about. Light had never refrained from hitting him before and on this particular occasion he probably deserved it- did deserve it.
L was ninety nine per cent positive that it would only be a matter of time until he got the stuffing beaten out of him, and if he hadn't been depressed about the Kira case before- he certainly was now.
He was counting down the hours slowly but surely in his mind.
For the first time in a while he was no longer feeling threatened by Kira, unless Light Yagami was hiding something, but that was another story.
He had other things on his mind, equally important things.
The thought of Beyond Birthday roaming the streets freely was enough to send a chill down his spine. L resisted the urge to squirm, cursing himself mentally for being far too lenient with the man, dangerously lenient.
He felt like a fool.
The detective was determined to fix his mistakes, at severe costs if he had to.
He was going to fix this and it didn't matter what obstacles were in his path, even if it happened to be an extremely pissed light Yagami cuffed to his wrist. Watari had offered him the small key on more than one occasion, which had been rejected adamantly.
The building was quiet, eerily quiet, with the exception of Misa Amane as usual, who was currently residing in her room contently, singing and texting like there was no tomorrow.
The blonde had seemed to pick up on the heavy atmosphere lingering throughout headquarters.
Ryuzaki shifted uncomfortably, slipping from his inner musings tiredly as he realised that Light had been talking him, slipping in the occasional glare in his direction with a pair of dark, narrowed hazel eyes.
"Well?" The teenager asked impatiently, his arms folded tightly as he looked down upon the detective, "Do you have anything to say for yourself L?"
Lawliet wondered idly if the Yagami's pacing would eventually wear a hole through the floor.
"Words would not be enough Raito-Kun," he replied with a small sigh.
Even the magnificent tray of chocolate cake beside him was not enough to muster any ounce of enthusiasm. In fact the only thing that the moist chocolate sponge had succeeded in doing was make him feel rather ill.
"Are you going to tell us anything?" Aizawa inquired, "Or are we going to just sit in silence through this meeting?"
"With all due respect Aizawa, I'm still looking for the right words."
"I thought you said that words wouldn't be enough?"
"Exactly," the detective replied meekly, "I'm not sure where to start-"
"From the beginning..." Light muttered impatiently.
"Light." Soichiro Yagami warned sternly, motioning for L to continue.
"The first time I met him in person was when I invited him to work with us on the Kira case. I'd only ever seen a single photograph until he-"
"Beyond."
"Yes... Beyond."
"Does he have a family name?"
"That information is restricted Raito-kun. Although I can tell you that he spent a few years of his life at Wammys Orphanage until he went missing. For years he remained on the missing persons list, until sometime later when he was found in Los Angeles by... Naomi Misora."
"She was looking for him? Why?" Matsuda asked curiously, running a hand through his hair in mild confusion.
"No...Not searching for him. It was a mere coincidence that she happened to find him. He was connected to a case that I had asked her to investigate."
"Connected?" Light asked.
"Well... convicted actually." L finished rather reluctantly.
The teenager raised a brow in question, and the small gesture was enough to trigger to wreathe of nerves beginning to form in the pit of his stomach.
Suddenly L was beginning to feel much sicker than he had been feeling before.
He'd said too much.
Peering down his nose at the sweet, lukewarm tea in his cup he grimaced, placing the cup on the table beside him.
"What was he convicted for Ryuzaki?"
...
"Murder."
He could have made something up or altered the story; however the detective was too late. As soon as the words left his lips he lowered his head in defeat, biting his lip nervously, and waiting for the aftermath...
"You idiot..." Light seethed. "You fucking-"
"Light," his father scolded, resting a hand on his son's shoulder warningly, "let's be reasonable about this-"
"REASONABLE?" The teenager said in disbelief. "That's all we need, another killer on the loose! Maybe he'll join forces with Kira and they'll both finish you off together!"
The detective did his best to appear calm and collected as usual, ignoring the guilt that began to gnaw on his conscience. Trying his upmost to ignore the wreathing in his stomach, Ryuzaki took a deep breath, shifting once again in his seat and rested his pale hands onto his bony knees with a blank expression.
He looked at the Yagami calmly with a pair of soft grey eyes and said with certainty, "Don't be ridiculous Raito-kun. Beyond has no intention of killing me."
'Beyond wouldn't kill me... would he?' The raven thought nervously, resisting the urge to shift again in his seat. Lawliet wouldn't be entirely surprised if Birthday did have feelings of murderous intent towards him, after all he had several reasons to be slightly irritated with him.
The first reason was the fact that L had succeeded in solving the Los Angeles Murder Case, which had ended in Misora preventing Birthday from killing himself and instead submitting him to what had then been permanent imprisonment.
The second reason was most likely related to the fact that the detective had suddenly appeared in Beyond's life with a mere promise that he did not keep.
He'd lied to BB, which hadn't been the wisest of decisions. The man was smart, and he'd either use his intelligence to keep himself out of trouble or make Lawliet's life a living misery. L sincerely hoped that it wasn't going to be that latter one, although he probably deserved it.
He could almost picture Beyond, standing before him with a pair of glittering hazel eyes filled with murderous intent, the wicked splatter of blood smeared across his palms and his cheek, soaking his shirt not with his own blood, but L's.
Ryuzaki had already seen what Beyond had done to his victims, and the thought itself sent an unpleasant chill down his spine that made his toes curl.
He didn't want to imagine what could happen to him, he didn't want to imagine his own organs being ripped out in front of him.
He shivered.
"I'm the one being ridiculous?" Light replied in disbelief. "What were you thinking? Did you ever think about what could have happened to us? Just look at what happened to Aiber Ryuzaki!"
...
"How is he?" Matsuda asked reluctantly, avoiding eye contact.
L slumped a little lower in his seat and turned to Matsuda, watching him as he spoke.
"He'll be fine," L assured him, almost trying to convince himself at the same time. He tried to convince himself that the blond wasn't going to hold much of a grudge against him at least.
He didn't sound certain, but Matsuda didn't question him any further.
It was obvious to the entire taskforce that the detective had a lot on his mind, and no matter how hard L tried, he couldn't erase the image of Aiber's blood stained carpet from his mind.