A/N... I don't own Death Note

I regarded the creature with an expression devoid of as much emotion as possible. Its squished in face showed no change of expression from what I had been seeing since its visage was first made visible to me. I noted that it wore a belt with a skull image, Hm, morbid.

"Oooh, so you can speak," I mused absently through my observation. "Interesting." I glanced at Light, gauging his reaction. It was as I expected. That dark, analytical sharpness had set in his face. I smirked and turned to face him, "Well, Light?" He concealed the dangerous expression on his face and opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted his response, "I'd prefer if you'd not try to deny it. It'd just be a waste of time. Please, I do hate being underestimated."

"Alright," Light said simply. Well that isn't characteristic for him at all.

I turned to him curiously, "Really? Huh, that was easy. Not like you at all. Where's the fun in that?" For just a moment, some of Beyond's odd character managed to slip through. It was just a question, but it was more something Beyond would say than I.

The question, however, did manage to take Light by surprise. He regained himself and spoke smoothly with a confidence I had never heard from him, "Okay, how about a proposition?"

"I'm listening," he had managed to capture my attention. Not with the six-foot-something creature lurking in the corner, but with this interesting suggestion of his. I had never been able to resist a good opportunity.

"How about we take turns questioning each other? Just to level the playing field. I'm sure there are answers both of us want, and well, we'd only want to be fair, right?" his voice had taken on a slightly patronizing tone.

For as long as I've known Light, I had been aware that he had a rather egotistical side of him, and I had been able to see it in glimpses during class and among others, but never had he directed it to me. It annoyed me. "Yes, of course," I replied sharply. "And I expect the truth in your responses, Light Yagami. I'd be disappointed if you lied to me during our little game." It wasn't much of a game, really. No, it was a two-way interrogation. One in which we would both get what we wanted.

"I couldn't have said it better myself. And you wouldn't go to L with my answers, would you?"

"I give you my word that I won't speak to L about any of this."

"Glad to hear it."

"Then answer me this, Light Yagami," I drawled, "are you Kira?"

"I thought you already knew the answers to that, E," Light countered with some amusement.

Had it been any other day or time, I probably would not have minded some banter. However, I wasn't feeling it. "Let's add a second rule, shall we? In addition to complete honesty, let's not play this game. I'd like to get to the point."

Light laughed the same fake way he did with other people, "You're in a bad mood."

"Yes, I am," I stated irritably.

Light regarded me quietly before shrugging, "Yeah, I'm Kira, but you already knew that. It's a waste of a question." I didn't respond. There was no need to elaborate my desire for his confession. I needed to hear him say the words. My chest constricted as the words left his mouth, but not in a good or bad way. It was a self-fulfilling moment for me. I would enjoy it.

Light continued to speak in my silence, "How did you figure it out?"

"About you being Kira?" I asked innocently, "I didn't. Not quite. L has his suspicions, and he was so kind to share them with me. After that, it was a simple matter of character observation. I got to know you, Light."

His eyes narrowed, "I shouldn't trust others so easily then."

I waved my hand dismissively, "Oh, don't be so cautious. I doubt most others are as perceptive as I am. How do you do it? Kill them, I mean." How did you manage to kill him, Light? He was under heavy security. No way in, no way out. On the other side of the world without any contacts, how were you able to kill Beyond Birthday?

Light rose from the bed and advanced towards me casually. I forced myself not to tense, not to show that I was on the defensive with the young man's movements. My thought instantly went to my purse. If necessary, I would threaten him, but only if necessary. He put one hand on the back of the chair I sat on and continued to move forward. He reached behind me with his free hand, his face directly next to mine. So close that I could feel his calm, measured breathing. I heard him open a drawer from behind me.

"I do it, with this," Light whispered into my ear. For a moment, I feared that he would kill me right then and there, but as he pulled away, I realized that was not his intention, not at the moment. He was an arm's length away, and he held up a dark notebook between us. It seemed like a normal bound notebook with the exception of two words written in English in all capital letters and an odd font I've never seen before.

"Death Note," I read softly. I looked into Light's eyes, as if I was looking into two pools of blood with the red that persisted to stain my vision.

"It allows me to take the life of any low life criminal whose name I write on its pages," Light explained. The pieces started to fall into place. The 'code' in the diary entries. The Note Blue. This was what it all pointed to. The Death Note. I wanted to believe that Light was lying, that he was mocking me with something so outrageous, but I couldn't. Not when the situation allowed for something so outrageous to be the only truth.

"I see." So that was how he did it. He just wrote down the names of his victims, and they died. Just like that. Beyond had died, not by fire, not by his own hand, not by a bullet, poison, or any other means of death. He had died by his name. It seemed so fitting for a man who had gone by so many other names in his life, and I wondered if that's how I'm to die as well.

"How did you get involved with this case?" Light questioned. "I've done my research on you, E, or rather, Reika Endo. Nothing points to you being a detective, much less an accomplice to L."

Oh, now that angered me. "I am not an accomplice to L," I snapped. "I'm not the amateur you seem to think I am. I kept up with the case independently for months before L requested my cooperation. Actually, it happened on the same day he revealed himself to you at the orientation ceremony."

"That's convenient," he remarked skeptically.

In a way, it was, but also…it had caused me more trouble than I had anticipated. No, not the dangerous sort of trouble that L and Beyond both seemed so concerned with. The sort of inconvenience that hindered me from completing my work. I turned my attention to the creature that seemed to be watching us with the kind of amusement one receives from watching a TV show. How did it fit? "You're a Shinigami, aren't you?" I asked, turning my attention to the hulking figure.

"Huh, yeah. That's right," it confirmed easily. The Shinigami spoke as if its presence wasn't a big deal. Then the second Kira's much stupider than I first thought, or perhaps cleverer? Stating the truth so obviously and outrageously that nobody would understand…that sounded like something I would do. Unless…the second Kira was doing it unintentionally…then he or she was only an over excitable child.

"What are you doing hanging around Light?" I was honestly curious, wouldn't a god of death have something better to do than follow around a Japanese teenaged boy?

"I got bored," the Shinigami shrugged. Apparently not, I answered my own unspoken question.

"Oh, right," Light said almost to himself before continuing louder, "E, this is Ryuk."

"Pleasure to meet you," the death god grumbled.

"Likewise," I replied politely.

"It's very interesting that you can see him in the first place," Light remarked. "A human should only be able to see a Shinigami after touching their Death Note." That came as a surprise to me. How long had I been able to see Ryuk? The shadow that was him? I had never even known then what a Death Note was, and I certainly did not think that a Shinigami could be involved with the Kira murders.

"But I never even heard about the Death Note until just now," I stated while analyzing Light, "so you're wondering how it's possible." It wasn't a question. I knew exactly what he was wondering. His pattern of thinking was so like L's that I could practically predict his next move. "Well, if you come up with an answer, please share. I don't have a clue myself."

Light looked as if he was about to say something, but there was a knock on the door followed by a giggle, "Light, Mom says to come down for dinner!" Sayu Yagami then opened the door and peeked in, finding a notebook open in Light's hands and Reika Endo looking at the computer screen. Light and I had abruptly ceased conversation and appeared to be working.

"Alright, Sayu, we're coming," Light said in a measured voice with enough affection a sibling has for another. The two of us got up, and I followed Light as he passed his sister on his way down. The younger girl looked up at me curiously while we walked down to the dining room. It was unnerving. Someone hadn't scrutinized me this closely in years.

"Are you Light's girlfriend?" Sayu asked bluntly.

"We're just classmates, Sayu," Light sighed tiredly.

I laughed lightly at Light's response, "Now that just sounds impersonal, Light."

"She'll start jumping to conclusions," Light said defensively. I followed the Yagami siblings to a table where the two parents were already waiting for their guest and children. I noticed the letters floating above Chief Yagami's head when I looked at him. He seemed surprised to see me there outside of the hotels. Light commanded the situation perfectly, "Dad, this is Reika Endo, she's a classmate of mine from school. We met up at Aoyama today and wanted to get some studying in."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," I said politely. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"No, it's alright," the chief said welcomingly, "please, join us for dinner."

I put on my best embarrassed face and sat at their table next to Light and across from Sayu. We gave thanks for the meal. It was strange for me to be in this sort of situation. I never would have thought it would happen to me. It was so oddly normal despite the circumstances. I was sitting next to a mass murderer in his home, with his family, while his mother expressed her delight at hosting company for the evening. "So you go to school with Light?" Mrs. Yagami asked pleasantly.

"We have one class together," I replied. "I aim to be a journalist after university. Light could do much better than that, though. Having scored the highest on the entrance exam and all."

"We're very proud of him," Mr. Yagami stated with a touch of fatherly pride.

"Nobody's surprised, though," Sayu added, "Light's good at everything he does!"

I smiled kindly at the boy's younger sister, "I've noticed." She clearly looked up to him. She didn't strike me to be as clever or generally intelligent as her brother, but she didn't seem to hold that against him. That poor girl had no idea who her brother really was.

The small talk carried on through dinner, and once it was over, I offered to help with the dishes and cleaning up. It felt so strange to be doing domestic chores. I was fully capable of doing them, but I never felt comfortable. Domesticity was never something I found myself suited for, I don't think. Once Mr. Wammy arrived with the car, I felt it was too soon. I still had questions for Light, but there would be time for that later.

"You're welcome back any time," Mrs. Yagami told me.

"Thank you, Mrs. Yagami," I said politely as Light escorted me out of the house. Once we were out of earshot, I spoke in a low tone.

"We aren't finished yet, Light."

"There's plenty of time, don't get impatient." Before we got close enough to where Watari patiently held the door open, Light took hold of my wrist and in a hushed whisper asked, "Who was it? The person you hate me and L for?"

I looked into his face, just because I had to see his eyes. I wanted to know why he asked. What could it have been that prompted him to ask that question? Curiosity? Suspicion? I assume that it was something like that. There's something about looking intently at a person's face that affects you. Not negatively or positively. It simply allows you to see more.

"Beyond Birthday," I said softly, "his name was Beyond Birthday." Then I entered the car and Watari closed the door after me. My former caretaker pulled away from the Yagami residence, and I looked out the window to see Light watch the car pull away.

"Is everything alright, Ever?" Mr. Wammy inquired, above his head were the words, Quillish Wammy. Even though I sat behind him, the words were read as if I was facing him directly. "We were quite concerned when Matsuda informed us of your change of plans."

Was everything all right? I couldn't be sure. After all, I had just revealed a very vital piece of information to Light, no matter how small it was. It was a connection; one I hoped he wouldn't figure out. And all this with Shinigami? With the Death Note? With the red? The letters? How did it all connect? Was everything all right? "Yes, Watari, everything's fine," I lied. I lied to the man who had taken care of me for almost as long as I could remember. And I wondered, did Beyond start lying to Watari too before he disappeared?

Beyond Birthday.

Beyond Birthday.

Beyond.

Birthday.

The name kept running through Light's head as he turned back to go into his house. What had compelled him to take such a risk? He had revealed everything to the girl, and by the end of the night he felt as if she had gained more from their exchange than he had. Dammit, Light thought to himself as he closed the door behind him. He still had so many more questions, but he had to start with what he already knew.

"Did Reika go home, Light?" Mrs. Yagami asked as her son walked up the stairs.

"Yeah, she's fine," Light called back. He had no interest in hearing about his mother's impression of E. He went to his room and locked the door behind him. In frustration he slammed his fist down on his desk.

"Hey, what's got you so riled up?" Ryuk questioned from over his shoulder.

"E," Light grit out, "she's almost as bad as L. I still don't know what to do with her. I'm going to use her against L. I know that, but how? At this point, I've given away more than she has." Light collapsed in his chair and took out the Death Note from the drawer. She even knew where he kept it now! He had gone too far. He shouldn't have taken it out in front of her. He typed the name Beyond Birthday into the search bar and found the exact date that the criminal had died. Light flipped through the pages and saw the name, written by his own hand.

Beyond Birthday.

"Is that the guy?" Ryuk asked, looking at the screen from behind Light. The criminal's image on the website seemed remarkably familiar. Long, dark hair and pale complexion. Large, vacant eyes with heavy eye bags underneath. The criminal could have been mistaken for L, but upon closer inspection, Beyond Birthday certainly did not look so much like L.

"Yeah," Light said thoughtfully. "Hey, Ryuk, the only way for a human to see a Shinigami is by touching their Death Note, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," the Shinigami confirmed.

"So how is it possible for E to see you?" Light mused. It didn't make sense to him. If touching a person's Death Note was the only way for another person to see the Shinigami, then how could E, someone who had never even known about the note, see Ryuk?

"I dunno," Ryuk shrugged. Light doubted that the Shinigami was lying to him. Ryuk would withhold information for his own entertainment, but he had never outright lied to Light, and Light expected it to remain that way.

"I need to know more about her," Light stated determinedly. He had to know who she really was, where she had come from. He had to know how she had become E. He had to know what she was capable of, and who she would be loyal to in the end. When it came down to it.

"Who do you think this guy was to her?" Ryuk asked. The question was irrelevant to Light, but at the same time…they could have a link. If he could find out more about Beyond Birthday, he could find more about E. If they really were as close as she claimed, then there had to be a connection.

Light shrugged as he pulled up a link, "He could have been anything to her. A friend, a relative, a lover." For some reason that last possibility annoyed him more than it should have. What did it matter what their relation was? She was just a pawn he would use. Besides, Birthday was dead anyway.

L was perched on the armchair when we returned. Watari headed straight for the dishes L had left lying around the living room and disappeared in the kitchen. The red was getting duller now. It had been a couple hours since it happened, but I think the color was finally fading.

"And how was dinner with the Yagamis?" the detective questioned from his perch. I didn't want to look at him. I had seen his figure out of the corner of my eye, but I hadn't seen the name I knew was floating over his head. I had no desire to. I wanted to know his true name as badly as everyone else, but not like this. I wouldn't want to know any Wammy's kid's real name like this.

"It was nice. They're a lovely family," I admitted.

"Yes, well, I'm sure," L replied. "How exactly did you come to be there? We made plans for you and Matsuda to return here directly after Aoyama. What changed?"

"I wanted to speak to Light," I admitted vaguely.

"About?" he pried.

"It doesn't concern you," I stated clearly and started to walk in the direction of my room, making sure my eyes were anywhere but on L. The detective wouldn't have it, though, as I anticipated. He shot up and blocked my path.

"As long as you are involved in the Kira investigation, anything you do regarding Light Yagami is my concern," L's voice had taken on an authoritative tone.

"Perhaps I shouldn't be involved in the Kira investigation then," I retorted lowly. I still hadn't brought my eyes up to his head. I kept my gaze straight ahead and down to the floor.

"Believe me, I would like nothing more."

I would be lying if I said that hadn't stung a little. A part of me would always look up to L as a detective, and knowing that he would rather that I resign from the case was a blow to my pride. Well, that was all the more reason not to submit to L's preferences. "If it was worth telling you, I would," I stated before gliding past the detective to my room.

I prepared myself for bed early following a long shower. It had been a busy day, and there were still answers I needed. Only these ones had to come from someone else. Someone who only I could see and hear.

The setting was Aoyama this time. It appeared exactly as it had earlier the same day, except it lacked the presence of other people. I was grateful for the fact that I could see normally and perceive colors other than red. We stood a good distance away from each other in the empty district.

He looked different. His hair was less voluminous; his skin still lacked pigment, but it appeared less sickly pale; his face less gaunt; his eye bags slightly less defined; and the subtle nuance in his hair color had been a shift from black to very, very dark brown masquerading as black. However, he still dressed in a plain white long sleeve and jeans and persisted to stand with a slouch.

"Congratulations, Essie," Beyond threw his arms up in a grand gesture. He wanted to be dramatic. He always liked to be dramatic. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"I was wondering when you'd stop with that appearance," I remarked calmly. This was what Beyond's true appearance was. The similarity between him and L was uncanny, but they certainly weren't identical. In fact, they weren't even close. While he was alive, Beyond applied makeup in order to appear more in L's likeness.

He barked a laugh, "You didn't like it?"

"No," I sighed tiredly. It was almost a normal conversation. Well, considering one of us was dead. Beyond stood there looking the way he had when I had known him. No tricks, no disguises. It was just the two of us in this dreamscape.

Beyond scoffed, "He's an egomaniac anyway."

"Because he likes his privacy," I retorted with Beyond's odd logic.

Beyond rolled his eyes at my sarcasm and waved his hand as if to dismiss the topic, "He's not important. However, this is." He didn't have to say it for me to know. Everything he had done in the nightmares was beginning to make sense, just a little bit. It all had to do with the Shinigami and the Death Note. Now, I wanted to know why, and what we had to do with any of it.

"You couldn't have just told me about the Shinigami, could you?" I questioned.

"No," Beyond replied laughing, "that wouldn't have been fair. It was more fun this way, and you wouldn't have believed me anyway." He had a point there. I never would have believed a dead man I see in my dreams.

"Are you going to tell me now?" I wondered, "I need answers, Beyond."

"Sure, I don't see why not," he grinned and motioned for me to take a seat. The scene had shifted, and we were in a familiar office. A towering bookcase stood behind a large desk, and a red armchair sat facing the desk. I lowered myself into the armchair and Beyond went into L's preferred crouch in the desk chair.

"This is Roger's office," I noted.

"Yes," B drawled in a way very much like L, "I never liked that man."

"He never liked you," I laughed lightly. "Roger didn't like any of us."

Beyond scoffed, "I should have killed him first." Of course, he doesn't regret committing heinous acts of murder in his death. No, he regrets the murders he could have committed. Although, none of us would have missed Roger. "Well, first things first, right?" he smirked. "How does it feel?"

"I'm sorry, what?" He leaned forward excitedly grinning. I had no idea what he was talking about, and my confusion only seemed to amuse him.

"The eyes, Essie," he said it as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

This new vision? Seeing in red with letters and characters floating all over the place was strange and foreign. However, it didn't feel that way. I knew that it should have been more bizarre, and I only recognized that fact, but it felt natural to me. "It's…" I struggled to find the right word to describe it.

Well, fortunately for me, Beyond had more than enough words, "Liberating? Extraordinary? Illuminating?"

I rolled my eyes, "If you're just going to answer the question yourself, why bother asking?"

"Well…?" Beyond prompted, ignoring me.

I sighed, "Yes, yes. It's all of those things."

"That's what I thought," he said surely, leaning back, "and don't worry about the red. It fades eventually."

"You said that you see numbers," I recalled. "What did you mean by that?"

He nodded and reclined in the chair, a very odd thing considering so few of us actually sprawled ourselves out. "Shinigami," he stated loudly, "exist in a dimension connected to our own. They are a race that survives by taking the lives of humans in order to extend their own lifespans. In order to do so, each Shinigami possesses a Death Note. They also possess the ability to see the names and remaining lifespan of humans once they've seen their prey's face. This is referred to as 'Shinigami Eyes'."

I committed every word to memory. It was a lesson, and he would only give it once. "You see the lifespans," I concluded. I could see names, and Beyond saw lifespans. That wasn't as relevant as the other information he just provided. "So when the Second Kira says that Light doesn't have the eyes, it means he can't see the names and lifespans," I inferred.

"Correct," Beyond grinned, almost proudly.

"Then the Second Kira does have them," I scowled. That's how Ukita died. The Second Kira just had to look at him to get his name. Aliases were useless, then. From the way it seems we can't protect our identities once we're seen.

"Well, you don't have to worry," Beyond assured me.

I regarded him suspiciously, "Why not?"

"They can't see your name," Beyond smiled a little bit, just a small, childish upturn of the corners of his mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"Shinigami can give the Eyes to a human possessing the Shinigami's Death Note in exchange for half of the human's lifespan. You don't have a Death Note, but you can see names and Shinigami. On the other hand, Shinigami and humans with the Eyes can't see yours."

So the rest of the Task Force was in danger, but I was safe…for the most part. Well, I'm sure that was the extent of Beyond's concern. He didn't care about the rest of them. I'm sure he would be thrilled if L died.

I asked my next question partially because I knew he wanted me to and partially because I had to know. "Why us?"

Beyond smirked, "It must be a family thing."

I had already figured that it had to do with our relation, but that wasn't a reason. Beyond knew the real answer, but he wasn't going to give it to me. Not yet. He was done answering questions tonight. Our time was almost up. "One more thing, Beyond. You aren't dead, are you?" I questioned, "Not really. You're here. You're alive here." I've accepted that the impossible was possible, and now, a part of me hoped for something I never thought would ever be possible.

He just smiled at me, and I knew he wouldn't answer this question either. The smile wasn't like the grins teetering on insane I usually saw from him. It was sincere, vulnerable, but, overall, sad. He took my hand and placed a piece of paper in it, closing my fist around it. "Keep it close, Essie. Protect it."

My eyes flew open, still perceiving my surroundings in red. For the first time, my heartbeat remained steady after an encounter like this. I turned on the bedside lamp and let my vision adjust. Unclenching my hand, I saw a shred of paper in my palm. These dreams weren't just dreams anymore. They were becoming reality. My reality. I moved to the desk and searched through the drawers, finding a book of matches.

Two words were scrawled on the strip in Beyond's handwriting. Keep it close, he had said. A part of me wanted to keep it with me forever. The part of me that wanted to have Beyond back. He may have been aggravating, jealous, domineering, criminal, and inhuman. I don't condone his behavior, and I still don't understand it. Yet, BB will always remain Beyond to me.

No matter how badly I wanted to hold on to this scrap piece of paper, I knew that I couldn't. Beyond wanted me to protect it, and the best way to do that is to erase every sign of it. Even after death, he wanted me to be safe. I struck a match and set this final physical trace of Beyond alight. Those two words are never to be known by the Kiras. I watched as the words burned away in the ashtray.

I read the words written by Beyond's hand one last time, Escallonia Birthday. I knew that this might very well be the last time I see my given name.

A/N... Wow, the feedback and follows and favorites while I've been out of commission made me feel so great when I finally saw the alerts! You're all amazing, I hope you know that. Okay, so here's an "I have some time because I'm procrastinating on finals" gift to you guys. It's not my favorite, but I do like it. Thank you all so much for your support.

Reviews are always appreciated ^.^

Happy Fanfictioning~