"Well, mama told me when I was young,

Said sit beside me my only son,

And listen closely to what I say.

And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day,

Oh, yeah it will."


3 Years Earlier:

A woman with long obsidian hair sat haunched over her knees on the stained wooden porch holding her face. A four story red bricked home with large unforgiving windows, sat behind her. A couple of loud crashes were heard before a garage door opened from the four bay attached parking garage. A sleek ebony Maybach Exelero, with chrome accents reversed out of the garage slowly. The tinted window descended, revealing a man with well a groomed mane of ashen hair, defined jaw line, with perfectly tanned skin and a piercing scarlet gaze. "If this fucking place is still in this state when I get home, woman, I swear I will make you pay for it." He sneered at the sobbing woman once last time, before speeding away in the menacing sports car.

One of the dual mahogany doors creaked open. A small boy peaked out of the door and timidly called to the woman. "Mom? Why is Dad mad again?" She gasped, quickly wiping her eyes dry, futile as it was. Turning around fast enough to fan her mid length hair out into the dying sunlight of the evening, her eyes locked with the child's, a haunting doppelgänger to his father.

Opening her plush pink lips to answer him, nothing but heavy breaths and sobs could be heard before a shuddered response came forth. "I don't know baby, I just don't know anymore." She patted the deck next to her, to which, the young boy trotted towards her, plopping down next to her. She looked away from him, trying to hide her already bruised eye.

They watched the sun set over the coast of the Pacific Ocean. "He hit you again… Didn't he?" The woman hid her face further behind her well maintained bangs and shook her head. "Mom… When I grow up, big and strong… I'll make lots of money, so we can have our own house like this… We won't need him. When I grow up, I'll be a way better lawyer than he could ever be!" The child pumped his fists happily with determination. "A bajillion times better!" He shouted in elation.

The woman stared at her son as she took one last bitter glance over the mansion, perfect yard and gated property. "Baby, when you grow up, all I want from you is to be happy in your life, you don't need a lot of money, not when there is someone starving somewhere on the streets in the same town as you." Her eyes drifted over the shadow of Los Angeles. "Or a house full of rooms that are never used, not while there are people who worry about where they are to sleep without fear of danger or illness. Remember, a car is just a car, it's only purpose is to serve for transportation. A woman is something to be cherished, not used. And, the world could always use a little extra kindness, because the Lord knows, there is enough cowardice and violence in it. Be a good man, be a kind man, be a simple man, that's all I could ever ask of you." Her eyes left the mansion and looked towards the city lights that were beginning to cast a glow on the incoming clouds. "Pack your bags, Benjamin, we're leaving, you should think of what you want your new name to be." Her sapphire eyes gleamed with mischievousness. "We're running away."


"Don't get your lust from the rich man's gold.

All that you need now is in your soul.

And you can do this, oh baby if you try.

All that I want from you my son is to be satisfied."


Present Day:

L stood in front of the bakery with a triumphant grin, his full amount of change in his pocket and enough sweets to content himself and Beyond for the trip back to the school. "I'd say we had a good summer."

Beyond nodded, absentmindedly eyeing L's previous harassers who sulked away. Over the course of the summer, the name Beyond became more than 'that skinny kid who hangs out with that weird quiet kid' to 'that kid who knocked Tim's tooth out and knocked Chad out in a single blow.'

A scarlet gaze that he knew he carried, cruel eyes, like his father before him. The young raven released out a sad sigh. A monotoned hum was heard from the other accompanying boy. "You're nothing like him." L chuckled at the confused stare he had received. "I'm beginning to think, I can read your mind. From what you told me; your dad, he used violence to solve all his problems." L brought the bag up to his nose and produced a tiny smile at the scent of the treats awaiting in the bag. "But, is it true bad violence, when you're only setting something straight?"

Beyond sighed and gave a disheartened stare towards the other boy. "Is it still a war, even when the winning side was right all along? Did innocent people still die in needless slaughter?"

Stormy grey eyes analyzed the crouching boy from behind ebony tresses before the monotonous voice continued. "That escalated quickly. All I'm saying, is you're not him. Sometimes, violence cannot be stopped with peace. Believe me, I've tried with them. Kind of feels nice, to be the feared one for once." L glanced his eyes towards the sky. "I like having you around. It's nice to be on the same intellectual level as someone else, and have these kind of conversations without fear of retaliation, or someone trying to force their opinions on me."

The crimson eyed teen smirked and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If I had to get stuck with anyone, I'm glad it was you too." His ears perked up slightly at the sound of a distressed cry from an animal. Standing at a dizzying rate, he tore off into the direction of the sound. Leaving L to trail behind.

He stopped quickly in front of an alley behind a restaurant. Catching up and nearly running into Beyond, L panted heavily attempting to speak while catching his breath. "I… Am… Not on a… Sports team..." His complaining stopped when he heard the muffled cry as well. "What was that?"

Beyond glanced back to the other raven and shrugged. "I aim to find out, it sounds like it's in trouble." L smiled at the boy who was currently tossing trash bags around the alley. L craned his neck to see what Beyond had discovered when he abruptly stopped thrashing about in the garbage.

Turning around with a limp cat in hands. "It's breathing really hard…" L's nose crinkled slightly but raised both eyebrows in interest when something was moving next to Beyond's foot, but his eyes departed the moving object when the other boy crouched, laying the now lifeless cat on the ground. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help more…" Silent, remorseful tears fell.

Tilting his head towards the sky, L sighed. 'For a tough guy… Beyond sure cries a lot.' Charcoal eyes departed the early afternoon sky only to be met with a silver tabby kitten in close proximity of his face. "What… What are you going to do with that?" Beyond's only response was a mischievous smile.


The two boys reached their room first before the rest of the residents. L dropped a large duffle bag in the center of the room and began pulling the contents out. Smirking, he dropped a plastic bin in the bathroom, then pouring a stash of litter into it. Beyond hid the food bowl under his bed along with a bowl full of water. L scattered stuffed mice around the room and kept a cat teaser under his pillow.

Nodding to each other, Beyond reached into his pocket and deposited the little silver tabby onto the floor. The kitten looked up to the two boys who took her in, cleaned her up and kept her safe during the journey and let loose a loud 'mew'.

Matt stood in the door with his mouth wide open before shouting, "Oh my God, that cat is the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Both L and Beyond shushed him.

L gave an appreciative glance towards Beyond who was happily playing with the kitten. 'He's nothing like he has described about his father, too big of a softie, too big of a heart.'


"And be a simple kind of man,

And be something you'll love and understand.

Baby be a simple kind of man,

Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can?

If you can."


A/N : Song lyrics from: Simple Man – Shinedown.