Hey guys, remember me? Hah. I bet you don't, seeing how I've become lazy with updating. I re-read through all the reviews that I've collected for this story this past year and last year, and I've figured out that I've lost it. This story's main concept has been forgotten about as I've been too occupied with dealing with A and Z and not Beyond and Hood. And now, Mello is in the picture, so I guess Hood has to figure out a way to push him out.

Anyway, I'd like to sincerely apologise for turning this into a drama and angst fic, when it should be a full on horror as I was originally gonna do it. But hey, I do actually have a reason why the ghost isn't stalking Hood just yet…. Don't worry, that ghost is definitely coming back. Blood will definitely be spilt soon, and you'll have your good old, fucked up B back, too!

I've lost a lot of reviewers recently, so now it's my goal to win them back. I'll give B back his knife. ;D

Listening to: Various Dubstep remixes of other songs on YouTube ;D

Disclaimer: Do I LOOK like I own Death Note? Yes, yes I do.

Chapter 25: The Final Seal

There was a stir going through Wammy's House For The Gifted as more and more orphans soon came to realise that L was gone. Some of the orphans and staff believed he was finally sick of being the 'God', being the 'Role Model', the one everyone was supposed to be just like. Others had the idea that he was trying to find Kay and bring her back. Most of the orphans believed Backup had finally scared him off. Zero and Xanthus were holding a prayer for him, despite the fact that neither of them were religious. A was wishing he'd done what L and Kay had long ago. The only thing he was truly thankful for, regarding Backup, was that he'd become the object of boredom before he became just another rumour, like Copy had become.

Roger and Wammy were constantly locked in Wammy's office, hovering over the computer screen like moths to a lamp lit amidst the gloomy, shadowy darkness. If people needed somebody to talk to about anything, they were expected to talk to Backup, seeing how they believed him to be responsible enough as he was more 'mentally fit' than A was and because he was ranked second. Zero had banged his head against the wall the moment the announcement had been made and A hid in his bedroom, probably crying his eyes out about it, Xanthus assumed. She believed A should have told Roger about everything before it was too late, so she considered that everything that was wrong with A, was his own fault.

Nobody would visit Beyond, of course. Everyone was too afraid. Even though the rumours and stories about him had calmed down immensely since A's attempted suicide, the glares and auras of fear never did when others were around him.

He combed his fingers through his long, shaggy black locks as he layed across his mattress in his clean, spotless yet gloomy room. He climbed off the bed momentarily when he decided it was probably time for a haircut.
He was basically the top-dog around there, now. L was gone and A was deemed too unstable. Beyond Birthday was finally number one. But to stay first, he needed to become first. He needed to become L again. People would respect him more because L was the definition of 'respect'.

He trudged lightly towards his desk that was pushed up against the wall across from his bed. There was a jar filled with pens, pencils and a pair of scissors with a black handle. He grabbed them, holding them tightly and the moment he began to turn towards the door, a loud knock sounded from behind it. He placed the scissors back on his desk.

His first 'customer'; Some poor sucker to step into his cave of darkness.
"Come in." He called out.

The door handle turned and there was a clicking noise. The door didn't open. Maybe whoever it was changed their mind? As soon as he'd thought that, the door was knocked on again. Nope. The door was locked. He sighed and rolled his scarlet eyes that nearly seemed to be glowing through the grey gloom shooting in thick streams through the window, across the floor, splattered on the walls and blanketing the furniture. He turned the key that always remained in its lock until another, louder clicking noise erupted through the silence and the door opened. A small body hidden behind a thick black jacket and a hood covering up the face of his visitor stood by the mouth of the door. Long blonde hair pooled out from the both sides of the opened hood, splaying across the girl's chest in a mess of waves. Her fingers were twining with those from her opposite hand. She was nervous.

"Ah, Haylee. What a pleasant surprise to run into you again! I see you're wearing the jacket I gave you?" He laughed sarcastically, stepping away from the front of the door to invite her into his domain.

Hood froze in place. Cold, invisible hands seemed to be holding her to the floor as her mouth dropped and her stomach clenched. She was rigid and couldn't allow herself to move. Especially under his gaze. She remembered exactly how she got this jacket. How could she forget? She was having a bath in that dusty, forgotten about part of the bathroom and when she turned, it was just there. A jacket twice the size of her with a red, sewed-in image of a long, spikey, Chinese Dragon across the entire back of it. But Beyond said… it was him? HE put it there?

"But how?" She managed to explode at him. She suddenly felt very self-conscious, gripping tightly onto the rolled up sleeves and folding her arms across her chest. Her arms quickly unfurled and she tried to step away from the invitation to enter his room, but she felt clumsy and tripped, falling to the wooden floor with a hard thud that seemed to echo through the empty hallway.

"You've had your birthday recently, haven't you? You're eleven, now." Backup stepped towards her, holding out a helping hand to lift her from the floor and back to her feet. Hood stared at the hand for a few prolonged seconds. Long fingers, a wide palm, white skin. Her hand shot into his, and with a strong flex, he pulled her up. Neither of them let go from the embrace their hands held.

Hood's mouth continued to gape open. "It was you…?"

"I couldn't let my little pet to get cold now, could I? I was being considerate. Maybe a simple 'thanks' is in order?" He replied, flashing her a cocky grin that never seemed to suit the darkness hiding behind the blood-red of his eyes. Something churned in Hood's stomach as she stared at that expression he always used to give her. "Why can't I sense what should be there with you, Haylee?"

"What?" Her eyebrows knitted together. She pulled her hand away from the warmth radiating from his palm and shoved it in the pocket on the side of her jacket.

"Normally, it's the fear. Everyone else seems to have it when they're near me, at least. But with you…" He laughed quietly to himself, eyes lifting from her and reaching his gaze to the ceiling. "They think fear is a suitable substitute for respect. It works, but it's not the same." He turned to her again. "Are you coming in or what? If you are, close the door, please. There's a breeze."

With a jerk of movement, she shifted her feet inside and did as he said and closed the door behind her. Everything was silent again. The sound of the wind whistling was cut off, the sound of footsteps coming from downstairs was diminished and shouts and hollers echoing through the old walls of the building were muted. The air was stiff.

Beyond pulled up the chair that was tucked next to his desk and turned it towards her. "Come, sit. We've much to catch up on..."

She edged her way towards it and sat herself down. Beyond had suddenly opened his cupboard on the other side of the room, rummaging through. Memories sweeped through her mind of when she opened it up in a game of truth or dare with Kay. The sound of the bones clattering and scattering across the floor was still clear in her mind. She caught a glimpse of the dolls nailed to the wooden back of the wardrobe and shivered.

He appeared in front of her momentarily and held something out for her. "Happy eleventh birthday. Sorry I didn't wrap it up."

Hood couldn't help but to gape. She wasn't sure if she was angry, shocked or surprised, or even a mixture. It was a freaking dog collar! A dark red leather collar. Hell, there was still dog fur stuck in the buckle!

"No 'thankyou'? Oh, I understand. You're probably ecstatic that I even remembered your birthday. Here, try it on."

"I never told you my birthday in the first place!" She choked out.

"I'm not Beyond Birthday for nothing, Haylee. Your numbers have changed." And before Hood could even think of something to respond with, his thumb and forefinger jammed in the crook between her neck and jaw with a not-so-gentle force behind it and lifted her head. His hands were hot, she noticed… but how? The weather was so cold… He wrapped the leather strap around her neck and forced the end through the opening in the buckle, looping it shut and closing it tight. He pulled the hood off her head and grabbed a fistful of long blonde hair. "Your hair has grown a bit." He noted, before brushing it off her shoulders, revealing the collar that contrasted against her pale skin.

"That doesn't even make sense!" She growled, trying to pull herself out from under him, but he grabbed onto her shoulders, holding her still.

He laughed again. "If only you knew how much that does make sense." He was leaning over her, now. Their eyes locked on each other's. Red to blue; Two completely opposite colours.

Hood felt like ice under his body heat. She felt as rigid as it, too. She needed more warmth. She was so, so cold. She was shaking. Her hands… her jaw… Her stomach was clenched tight. His long black hair was hanging from his head, brushing her skin. That felt warm, too. Her hands seemed to be unthawed as she found one touching his hair, weaving her fingers through the soft locks. Her other hand was twitching as her fingers began to open and close and then open and close again. Beyond stayed in place like set stone; He was almost a statue made of marble as her other hand traced a delicate, lace-like pattern across his cheek, up over his cheekbone, over his temple and towards his left eyebrow till it was past his hairline. The tips of her fingers fell back, when she realised what she was doing. Suddenly, his hand caught her wrist tightly, before it could land back into her own personal bubble. Her heart stopped in place, but he didn't growl at her like she suspected he would.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" It didn't sound like a question, the way he'd asked it. It was more of an observation.

Her jaw trembled. "I am afraid of you." She whispered.

"No, you're not."

Her heart was beating so loudly. It was hurting. Her ribs felt like they'd explode under the pressure her heart was putting them through. Her jaw trembled again and her breathing grew heavier and all of a sudden, she pulled herself forward, crashing her lips against his. His warmth suddenly cascaded through her icy veins. Her heart was aching and her body… suddenly so warm.

The moment he pulled away from her, he stated; "That was interesting. Maybe it's worth keeping you around, after all."

.-.

It was hard trying to avoid her since they'd kissed, the week before. Zero had taken it by surprise that she even had the slightest of interest in him but Xanthus had been even more surprised when she learnt that Zero lacked the same or similar interest towards her. He saw her only as his friend and he needed her probably more than she needed him, even though he never shared many of his problems with her and that he'd taken to Alternative quicker than he'd taken to her. But all the same, he trusted her with his life. He only wished that she hadn't strained their relationship further than what it needed to be. She had an idea in her head that if she hung around him longer than what she normally did and kept badgering him by trying to grab his hand all the time, that he'd turn around and like her just as much as she liked him, but it would never work. He always pulled his hand away from hers and tried not to snap at her.

Xanthus had also told Zero that it was pointless to visit A because he wasn't getting any better with his 'mental problems' – that they'd only get worse and all the effort Zero put into saving him would be wasted in the long run. She would never dare to say that to the face of anyone else other than him, though, and Zero knew that for a fact. To the eyes of everyone else, she was as sweet as honey and never held an opinion over anyone, and yes, normally she was like that, but there was just something she really didn't like about 'her' Zero being with A for almost the entire day, every day. This was driving Zero mad.

The only time Zero could check on A without getting an earful, was after curfew. He'd sneak out of his room after dark and lightly trudge over the hard wooden floorboards and gently knock on his door. A would open the door, momentarily, and let him in. Then Zero and A would sit on the bed and talk. That's mostly what they did for that first week. They'd sometimes stay there until daylight, laying half asleep on the bed with nothing but each other's body heat circulating through the air to keep them warm as they'd lay in silence with their eyes closed and no noise except that of their own gentle breaths.

A wasn't getting much better with dealing with his issues. His depression was unwavering and stubborn and he was always down about something. He was unresponsive most nights whenever Zero asked him how he felt, how he was. Sometimes A would just fall into a complete silence, and that was how the two would spend the night until A finally said something, of course. Usually it wasn't relevant to Zero's worries. If Zero tried to touch his shoulder, A would edge away. If Zero asked why, A would just shrug. Of course, Zero grew tired of this quite quickly. On the fourth night of the week, when A tried to roll his way away from answering his friend's questions, Zero grabbed at him, holding him by his elbow and staring him dead in the eye. Alternative could not help but stare back till he finally began to speak about what Zero wanted to hear. Alternative felt empty and sick all the time. He hated talking, now. Not just because it was painful due to the metal pipe keeping his throat from caving in, but because he thought sharing his voice and knowledge was nothing but a waste. Zero just gripped onto him tighter and tried to reassure him as best he could.

It was Friday, the last day of the week and Zero had slowly come to the idea that he needed to have another conversation with Beyond. He wasn't too pleased that this idea had begun to swirl around in his head and he didn't have a proper reason why he needed to; it was just an urge that wouldn't go down. It was sort of like the arcade game 'space invaders'. No matter how many times he shot at the problem, it just kept coming back, faster, harder, bigger, better. It was nothing but a whimsical idea that would lead him nowhere, but he felt that he should at least go through with it just to get it out of his head, so he did.

Friday morning consisted of dark clouds that threatened Winchester with ice cold rain to shower over the fields, buildings of the town and the orphanage. Cool air seeped through the windows in slow, rhythmical beats of wind. The floorboards seemed to have not only soaked in the temperature, but the colour of the sky, too; As did the walls and doors and stairs and even the moods of all orphans hidden between the walls.

Zero felt sicker at each slow step he took towards Beyond's door. His head was constantly spinning, eyes playing tricks on him and some sort of thick, nasty feeling was developing into the depths of his stomach. Shadows were painted generously in the hallway and at a head-on glance, they were stiff and unmoving but through peripheral vision, they danced like black flames. Dark fingers of shadow were crawling across Beyond's door when Zero had finally approached it. His throat had tightened to a painful degree and his tongue grew suddenly dry. The macabre feeling was spreading, twisting and turning, infecting the blood that pumped through his veins, biting at his skin, gnawing on his fingers and squeezing his head like it was something as soft as a balloon. Something inside of his head seemed to be vibrating, sending tremors through his body, shaking his hands and knees. Zero was finding it hard to breath and suddenly, a feeling as sharp as a knife plunging through his skin and into his belly caused him to collapse onto the floor. His hands clasped around the front of his stomach, searching and feeling– looking for the source of pain, looking for blood, but… he found nothing.

A voice suddenly exploded through the walls of pain he was locked behind as his eyes began to blur and his stomach began to heave. He could barely hear it, but it was definitely there. He was folded over on the hard, grey floorboards, clutching his stomach with his forehead resting on his knees. He nearly didn't register it until minutes later, when it was long and gone. The sharp, echoing, almost familiar voice was on constant replay in the back of his mind.

"Get away, now!" Was it? Or… was that just his subconscious?

That sudden burst of pain was what he should have been worried about, but instead, he focused his energy on trying to remember what was so familiar about that damned voice. The minutes went by and the pain had just about subsided almost as quickly as it occurred. It soon came to click with Zero the main reason as to why those few words were locked in his brain. It was because they were in Japanese. He knew for a fact that nobody else here ever spoke out loud any other language than English and L and Wammy were the only ones who could speak it almost as fluently as he could and neither of them were around. L had disappeared and Wammy never left his office any more. It had to be his subconscious, but something deeper in the folds of his mind continued to itch at that conclusion.

I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I know I sure did! :D It's one of the better ones that have come out since Kay's disappearance, I believe. I didn't go crazy with overwriting it, like I do on habit, and I got really into it when I was writing this! I was a bit sad to leave it here, but I couldn't describe Zero and his mind's conversation forever….

Review, please! I know you're there, readers. I can see you :D